Watch out!
Organisational prevention
Armed robberies carried out on high-end jewelers and watchmakers and cunning thefts in their boutiques remain a problem with all brands. In addition, the criminals involved seem to be using more and more violence. They hold the jewelers and their sales associates at gunpoint while they rob them of their valuable goods and all of this in only a few minutes. The traumas of the victims on the other hand remains for a lifetime. That is why everything should be done to avoid these confrontations. Crime Control criminologist Kris Van Limbergen developed a training called ‘Watch out! More security for jewelers’ and prepares, for over 10 years, staff members of important jewelery companies in organisational prevention.
Security awareness
Usually jewelers or luxury goods companies of this kind are very well insured and have secured their work and home environment with top technology. This is absolutely necessary to be able to function in a safe way, but it is actually insufficient. The weak spot used by robbers and thieves is the human factor. We all lapse from time to time with inattentiveness, negligence, automatisms, indiscretions, routines, etc… specially when we are focused on an important deal. But what is weak can be strengthened. What is necessary, for all professional jewelers and their staff, is to develop in an intelligently way a higher level of security awareness.
Pre-incident robbery indicators
One doesn’t become a victim of a professional group of robbers by coincidence. It is important to understand the development of a criminal process and to know and recognise the signals indicating observations or preparations of an armed robbery. With security top of mind, the jeweler will see these pre-incident indicators and act by taking more precautions. Jewelers and traders learn in the training how to see more and handle securely. It starts already with the analysis of who stands before the door. Staff and guards need to learn to stop their automatic pilot and to first scan some important elements of who would like to enter the boutique. Once criminals get inside there are few possibilities to stop a major incident.
Counter theft tactics
Sometimes there is no violence or threat involved, but clever criminals use all kinds of tricks to steal. They use special bags, chewing-gum, umbrellas, long coats on their arms, etc.... Or they are not embarrassed to use their children to get into a technical room or even the vault. Sneak thefts are carried out by taking advantage of the inattention of the sales associates by going behind the counter or switching a ring or a watch. Grab and run or distracting someone who is opening a showcase. So many tactics are possible to get away without paying the goods. Just as in the case of robberies, this is also the work of specialist international groups. Kris Van Limbergen has been studying for many years all their modi operandi and developed a preventive strategy. In the Cediva training, the footage is analysed to show how this is done and the development of best practice against these forms of counter theft is discussed.
Content of the training
- How to react safely during an armed robbery
- Actual security situation in high end jewelry
- New and specific tactics used by robbers
- No gangsters inside due to a strict door control
- Be more aware: you are not a victim by coincidence
- More vigilance when transporting jewelry
- How to prevent counter theft
- Discussion and conclusions
Who is the trainer?
Kris Van Limbergen is Belgian criminologist and has years of experience in developing security awareness and in learning how to deal with extreme forms of aggression in all kind of situations.
He is founder and managing director of both Crime Control and Cediva for already 20 years and had before that 15 years of academic and government experience both as a researcher at the KULeuven and as a securityadvisor for the Minister of the Interior in Belgium.
For many years now, he has been analysing robberies and thefts in jewelers boutiques all over the world. His customers are insurances companies (Anglo-Belge, Catlin, Circles, …) and international and prestigious jewelry brands and watchmakers such as Cartier, Chopard, Omega, Adler, etc.
The training sessions can be provided in
- English
- French
- German
- Dutch
Practical information
Multiple formulas are possible to be able to work as customized as possible. The full day training consists of two parts, both of which rely on an original method for improving security awareness. This interactive training is suitable for a maximum of 12 participants in a day formula. It can be held in a hotel training room as well as in the boutique itself. For people who are specially interested in the prevention of armed robberies or in the prevention of counter theft, both parts can also be taking as stand-alone in a half-day training. A part of the training can be classical, another part individual coaching on the floor. The latest version of the training mainly uses surveillance camera footage. It is also possible to use simulations with professional actors.