Program Profile: Anti-Theft Wraps

This is a crime prevention technique designed to deter retail theft by wrapping products in a security wire wrap. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group stores that received the intervention experienced a statistically significant drop in the loss of cordless electric drills, compared with control group stores. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the loss of diet supplements or skincare products.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes either 1) one study conducted in multiple sites; or 2) two or three studies, each conducted at a different site. Learn about how we make the multisite determination.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.

This program's rating is based on evidence that includes either 1) one study conducted in multiple sites; or 2) two or three studies, each conducted at a different site. Learn about how we make the multisite determination.

Program Goals/Program Components

Shoplifting is a common form of property crime and can cost American retailers billions of dollars annually (National Retail Federation 2017). Anti-theft wraps are security devices used in retail stores to proactively prevent shoplifting by wrapping products in a security wire wrap. Examples of products that can be protected by anti-theft wraps include skincare products, supplements and vitamins, and cordless electronics.

The Alpha Two-alarm Spider Product Protection Wrap, made of mesh and wire, was used for this intervention. It is designed to increase the threat of detection and therefore decrease the likelihood of the item being shoplifted in a number of ways. First, the anti-theft wrap is highly visible and has a unique appearance. Therefore, people who might otherwise steal should typically recognize it as an anti-theft device, which should deter them from shoplifting. The appearance of the device also makes it more visible to store security or associates, alerting them to the potential crime taking place and allowing them to prevent the theft. Additionally, if the wire wrap is cut or removed from the merchandise in an improper way, the device emits a loud, piercing alarm to alert people nearby, thus preventing the potential person from removing the item from the store. Finally, if the wrap is removed from the store, it triggers an alarm, alerting nearby staff and increasing the likelihood of the person being apprehended.

Program Theory

The logic of anti-theft wraps is based on the theories of rational choice and situational crime prevention. Rational choice theory posits that people are rational beings and make the choice to commit crime based on weighing the costs and benefits of that particular crime. Therefore, a person is more likely to commit a crime if the environment creates an opportunity where the potential advantages outweigh the risk. In the case of theft, Clarke (2000) proposed the CRAVED model as an explanation for why certain merchandise is more likely to be stolen: if it is concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable. Thus, an item like a bottle of vitamins would be a likely target because it is lightweight and small in size, easily removable from stores, high in value, and possibly kept in unattended parts of the store.

In addition, with regard to retail theft, situational crime prevention theoretical frameworks speculate that crime can be prevented if potential thieves are less motivated and better controlled; products are made less profitable or more difficult or risky to target; or retail managers and others are more motivated to prevent crime (Felson and Boba 2009). Anti-theft wraps in particular make products riskier to target and more difficult to remove from the store (Hayes et al. 2019).

Study

Hayes and colleagues (2019) conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the potential effect of anti-theft wraps on the loss of high-theft product categories in retail stores between June 2010 and September 2010. A total of 60 stores were selected to participate in the study. The 60 stores fell into one of three categories: 1) a home improvement chain, 2) a discount retailer, and 3) a supermarket. Stores in each category were separated into groups of low, medium, or high risk for retail loss, based on average loss across the previous 2 years. Stores in each risk level were then randomized into either the treatment group (n = 30), which participated in the anti-theft wrap intervention, or the control group (n = 30), which did not. However, four stores (two from the treatment group and two from the control group) were excluded from the analyses because of incorrect data reporting.

Stores measured loss by stock keeping units (SKUs) on a weekly basis. All stores reported data for five, 1-week periods before the intervention (the pretest) between June 28, 2010, and August 2, 2010. The intervention was put into place between August 2, 2010, and August 9, 2010, in treatment group stores. All stores then reported data for five 1-week periods after the intervention (the posttest) between August 9, 2010, and September 13, 2010. Loss was measured for three different products: cordless electric drills, diet supplements, and skincare products. These products were chosen based on the CRAVED model criteria (concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable, and disposable), and are generally considered at high risk for theft (Smith and Clarke 2015; Smith 2018).

A multilevel, mixed-effects repeated measure aggression model was used to analyze the effects of anti-theft wraps on units lost for each product type. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Clarke, Ronald V. 2000. “Hot Products: A New Focus for Crime Prevention.” In S. Allintyne, K. Pease, and V. McLaren (eds.). Secure Foundation: Key Issues in Crime Prevention. London, England: Institute for Public Policy Research.

Felson, Marcus K., and Rachel Boba. 2009. Crime and Everyday Life, Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage.

National Retail Federation. 2017. National Retail Security Survey. Washington, D.C.: National Retail Federation.

Smith, Brian T., and Ronald V. Clarke. 2015. “Shoplifting of Everyday Products That Serve Illicit Drug Uses.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 52(2):245–69.

Smith, Brian T. 2018. “Understanding Shoplifting of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods: An Application of the CRAVED Model.” Security Journal 31(2):428–50.