Sir – In an otherwise excellent article by Pauline Norstrom in the April edition of Security Management Today (‘Captured on camera’, pp38-40), I was somewhat disappointed to see the differentiation being made between ‘theft’ by the retail customer and ‘misappropriation’ or ‘pilfering’ by the employees.

Theft by the employee, from the employer (‘theft – employee’ in the police service’s categorisation) is far more serious and is therefore quite rightly treated as a much more serious offence by the Courts than is theft by the retail customer (‘theft – shoplifting’) and the like.

The breach of the basic trust placed by the employer in their employee, and the idea of the employee ‘biting the hand that feeds them’ – or merely stealing from ‘friends’ or those known to them – makes the offence far more serious.

To reduce such offences to ‘misappropriation’ or ‘pilfering’ sends out the wrong signals to those in positions of trust.

David Ayers MSyI, Corporate Security Manager, Telehouse Europe

Source

SMT