Myer, Australia's Largest Department Store Fights Shoplifters With Geutebruck IP Video

With new security technology operating in its 68 stores Myer, Australia's largest department store group, has declared to shoplifters that their game's now up. The use of radio frequency tags and a new Geutebruck digital CCTV system operated by well-trained staff is proving extremely successful in enabling security staff to identify and report known shoplifters, suspicious behaviour and co-ordinated activity among groups of individuals on their premises. As a result most shoplifting suspects are now apprehended before leaving the premises.

Myer is delighted with this success. It chose the new Geutebruck IP-video system, after several pilot installations and a number of technical shoot outs. With GeViScope-IP/SE platforms and around 6000 Sony 1.3 megapixel cameras, the system excelled particularly in its fast and responsive video management and its user functionality, while its quick search and edit tools such as the ‘cut list' and ‘motion search' were particularly impressive. In store its functionality makes easy work of spotting abnormal behaviour so that this can be reported to store guards who then shadow at close quarters, making their presence felt before offences are committed.

Besides high technical quality, speed and reliability, much of the positive user experience is due to a handful of key functions. Activity detection triggers alarms and changes recording parameters to predetermined settings when movement is detected in unexpected locations. The ‘Follow me' function allows operators to ‘drag and drop' video of suspicious behaviour from wherever they spot it to the central workstation screen, where it is automatically recorded at high resolution for evidential purposes. The ability to freely select and group multiple video streams from cameras all round the store makes it easy to spot co-ordinated action between individuals in different locations.

Besides loss prevention, the video system is delivering other benefits too. Its video evidence can be crucial in rebutting unjustified accident claims; and live footage from each store now enables marketing staff to check display compliance from head office – avoiding travelling time and costs.