Retail incident reporting is the foundation for providing a safe, predictable, and profitable retail experience. It is a vital tool for understanding why things go wrong. Retail incident reporting is the cornerstone for loss prevention organizations when executed correctly. It accelerates the incident-to-resolution timeline to ensure accountability within stores and avoid repeat offenses.  

Because in-store incidents include any security-related event, such as vandalism, accidents, theft, and violence, or multiple types co-occurring, loss prevention teams must have an adaptive incident management solution in place that can easily balance the demands of tracking every type of incident from low-stakes petty shoplifting to the horrors of workplace violence perpetuated via organized retail crime (ORC) gangs.

What is workplace violence?

Workplace violence refers to any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, abuse, or other threatening behavior that occurs in the work setting. Retail incident reporting is critical (and in some cases legally mandated) for preventing and eliminating workplace violence, which ranges from verbal threats to physical assaults and even homicide.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that approximately 25% of all workplace fatalities resulting from homicides involve workers tending retail establishments or assisting customers. Retail incident reporting allows retailers to improve workplace safety and helps paint a clearer picture of what a retail location (or organization) should focus on improving or eliminating.

While retail incident reporting occurs after an event, the speed at which an incident management solution creates, tracks, and manages an event allows retailers to be more proactive in squashing workplace incidents.

A recent Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union survey found that two-thirds of its members reported that they were harassed or intimidated by a customer, co-worker, or manager in the last year. The time to act is now—retailers must focus on streamlining their retail incident reporting process so front-line employees and customers feel and remain safe from potential accidental mishaps as well as the increasingly aggressive and violent tactics of ORC gangs.

Why is effective retail incident reporting critical for loss prevention teams?

According to Congressional testimony given by NRF’s David Johnston, VP of asset protection and retail operations, “retail employees are fearful about going to work” due to the rising problem of violent organized retail crime in stores. Organized retail crime isn’t just a problem in the United States, either; in a recent interview, the British Retail Consortium’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said in a statement, “We are seeing organized gangs threatening staff with weapons and emptying stores.”

Retail incident reporting empowers loss prevention teams to swiftly capture incidents such as vicious ORC smash-and-grab robberies, gather evidence, and manage multiple suspects, vehicles, and events to resolve investigations, all while putting preventative measures in place to avoid repeats. Additionally, the $100+ billion threat of retail crime incidents are more quickly shut down when investigators can maximize their efforts by creating, collaborating, and cross-matching related retail incident reports and existing loss prevention cases.

With the right incident management solution in place, workplace safety can become a performance driver, too; according to the Harvard Business Review, “Safety investments are linked to increases in customer satisfaction, employee welfare, sales, margins…” A safer, more productive workplace is ideal for every retailer and their customers.

Planning and working on your retail incident report

An effective retail incident report should be accurate, complete, detailed, and devoid of bias.

Before you begin writing it, make sure you have these questions answered:

• Who will be writing the retail incident report?
• Has all of the data been collected yet?
• Do you have a retail incident management solution and process to follow?
• Who needs to be notified of the report? 
  • Example: Your Loss Prevention manager, a District Manager, law enforcement 
• How will this data be distributed?

How to write a retail incident report

Below are some of the most important elements to include when documenting a retail incident report:

• Name of the incident reporter
• Date, time, and location of the incident
• Type of incident. Examples include:  
  • Physical attack without a weapon
  • Attack with a weapon or object, including but limited to a firearm, knife, or other object
  • The threat of physical force
  • Sexual assault or threat
  • Animal attack
  • Other
• Names and contact information of individuals involved  
  • Include job details, such as title and other relevant information
• Description of the accident or incident 
  • Any injuries sustained and actions taken on-site
  • If appropriate, provide photo evidence of the injury or damage
• Witness statements (if applicable)  
  • Remember to have the witnesses sign off on their statements so what’s been recorded is as accurate as possible
• Surveillance video of witness footage of the incident occurring

All the above information is crucial when developing a retail incident report and will help restore safety to your stores.

Narrowing in on organized retail crime: Tracking and managing organized retail crime (ORC) incidents

In recent years, ORC-related crime has been on the rise, affecting every single community and type of retailer. ORC remains a significant concern for retailers; in fact, 81% of respondents to the 2023 National Retail Security Survey reported that ORC offenders had grown more violent overall. Additionally, 67% of respondents noted increased violence and aggression from ORC perpetrators compared to the previous year. Therefore, a brief yet thorough retail incident report is necessary when collaborating with local law enforcement agencies to crack down on ORC-related violence.

Due to the sprawling nature of ORC, retailers must guarantee that their loss prevention teams are armed with the right tools to connect interdependent crimes and pinpoint the mastermind behind each operation. Because organized retail crime is an investigative determination – rather than a reported offense – having a retail incident management solution that allows retailers and law enforcement to investigate, substantiate, and prosecute a large swarth of crime helps extinguish ORC rings and send a message to those considering similar life choices.

Using retail incident reporting solutions to better track and protect against workplace violence

According to the United States Department of Justice, “gangs tend to consist of repeat offenders, and gangs can be widely dispersed networks.” Because of this repeat offender nature, retailers must have the tools (such as retail incident reporting) in place that can shut down ORC gangs and avoid these recurrent attacks.

Appriss Incident + ORC Intelligence makes it easy to track, act on, and monitor all the threats and violent acts brought on by organized retail crime gangs. By gathering varying types of incident data across many locations, retail incident reports can be easily constructed and followed through your internal resolution process while implementing preventative measures to avoid repeat offenses.

Additionally, ORC Intelligence helps retailers capture organized retail crime (ORC) incidents, match related cases with the assistance of Generative AI-powered technology, collaborate with other investigators to maximize efforts, and shut down ORC groups faster, saving time and additional losses.

Finally, with Appriss Incident + ORC Intelligence, loss prevention professionals can build cases, link cases, and collaborate with colleagues using a unified platform, enhancing efficiency and data control standards.

Workplace violence will never end, but the severity with which it ruins a retailer’s reputation and customer relationship must be prevented. With better retail incident reporting, retailers and their loss prevention teams can stop violent ORC attacks in the future by designing better strategies based on the past.

Learn more about improving your retail incident reporting and reducing violent ORC-related crime within your stores.