Theft migration. Ever heard of it?

A CCTV customer used the phrase ‘theft migration’ on me last week. Great expression.

They'd recently experienced it firsthand. After upgrading CCTV in one store, they noticed theft activity shifting to another store that hadn't received the same upgrade.

On one hand, that's a pretty good indication the CCTV is doing its job. On the other, it raises an interesting challenge for LP professionals. If improving security in one store shifts theft to another, does that change how you approach a national rollout? And when your competitors improve their security, does that make your stores the easier target?

It's an interesting one when you're trying to build an internal business case. The evidence supports the investment, but it also suggests the problem might be bigger than one store.

Unfortunately, theft doesn't always disappear when you make it harder. Sometimes it just finds somewhere easier.