into the business and ask questions; from the information we get, we can show you ways of fixing the problems you are currently having.” When moving to a POS system, adds Putz, it’s easy to tell which employees are most inclined to steal. “They are the first to tell you the system won’t work there. They say it won’t be as fast as a cash register and that the customers won’t be happy with the POS system. But the POS system will give better customer service because you don’t have to run to the bar or the kitchen to put your orders in, so you can pay more attention to the customers. The fact of the matter is they have to be more responsible and theft is harder.”
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA The thing about surveillance cameras, at least from the employee perspective, says Brehm, is that they can’t know there are cameras. “If they know where the cameras are, they’ve won half the battle,” says Kelly. “Once they know where they are, they’ll figure out how to cover them up or position themselves to keep doing what they’re doing.” Adds Brehm: “As long as you don’t have audio, you can have hidden cameras and don’t have to tell them about them.”
a $5 and gives it to his buddy who just got paid to sit at the bar. You can’t see that with a single camera.” Brehm adds that cameras not only protect against theft, but provide visual evidence of criminal activity and other on-premise issues, like fights, accidents and more. “There is a delicate balance with camera systems,” acknowledges Giese. “Bar owners want to protect the privacy of their clients and don’t want to feel like Big Brother. But they’re a very valuable deterrent.”
Today’s surveillance systems can be set up so there’s little technical expertise involved on the owner’s behalf once the system is installed, and the surveillance can be viewed via an Internet connection or smartphone. Plus, it records to a DVR, so you don’t need to worry about switching tapes.
He adds that once the system is installed, “you still have to look at them and check out what’s going on in your bar. You don’t need to sit there for hours at a time, but take other bits of information and use those as reference points to look at the cameras to put the whole picture together. It’s not going to jump off the wall and tell you Sally is giving away free drinks.”
There are also options to have the camera trigger an alarm on your phone or computer if it’s activated after-hours.
SECRET SHOPPERS
Giese notes that it’s important to put cameras at critical control points for loss prevention. Places where inventory is stored, cash handling areas and the actual service area where drinks are dispensed. “The biggest problem in taverns is a lack of proper camera coverage for the areas you want to watch,” says Giese. “If you have a 30-foot bar, typical dim bar lighting, and two registers 20 feet apart, one camera will not provide sufficient detail to see both registers.” He adds that in this example, one camera on the register and one providing a wide view of the bar is the better option. “That way, you can see when the bartender puts in two singles and pulls out
Tavern League of Wisconsin
that both arms and disarms the alarm. (Owners or upper management would have a code to enter the premises to open for the day.) Codeless arming keeps employees from coming back in after hours, and the system maintains a record of when bartenders leave.
CASH AND CARRY A service of MPI is civil processing and among other things, the company will deliver deposits to the bank for customers. “Most people don’t want to carry money, but you have to get the deposit out,” says Kelly. “This service is one less thing you have to rely on bartenders for; the less they can be around money, the fewer opportunities to theft.”
Scott Brehm, Owner Stealth Solutions 715-459-4321 stealth@solarus.net
If you have your eye on a certain bartender, a “secret shopper” is a low-key method to see their thieving ways in action.
Craig Giese, Security Consultant Per Mar Security Services 800-845-9608 x8503 cgiese@permarsecurity.com
“I’ve gone right in and acted as a patron,” says Brehm, “and tried eliciting the kind of activity the owner is concerned about and observe them on the job.”
John Kelly MPI Protective Services 608-243-7946 jkelly@mpiprotective.com
Most bar owners, adds Brehm, have a pulse on what’s going on, but those questionable actions don’t happen when they’re around.
CODE IT
David Putz, Technical Sales Consultant Total Register Systems 763-537-1906 x18 dputz@trs-pos.com
If you have a burglar alarm, consider upgrading to one that offers “codeless arming.” Giese explains that with codeless arming, employees simply engage the alarm with the touch of a button instead of being assigned a specific code 2012 July/August On Premise
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