'Flash Robs' Pose a Growing Threat to Small Retailers

Retailers and other small business owners should be prepared to respond to criminal groups of teenagers and young people that law enforcement officers are calling "flash robs."

"Flash mobs" date back to 2003, and the original idea was to have a group of people suddenly appear in a public place to perform a prank or an act of satire.

Flash mob to flash rob

Later, flash mobs evolved to groups of young people who suddenly appeared on the scene only to cause violence and vandalism, such as we saw in cities like Philadelphia and New York.

Flash robs have now evolved from the flash mobs. The flash robs, organized via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and cell phone texts, suddenly appear to perform a specific function—they plan to assault your business en masse.

Retailers have been victimized in the past by multiple-offender crimes, such as organized shoplifters who enter stores in teams and steal targeted products, but flash robs are more violent and more destructive.

A disturbing criminal trend

A recent National Retail Federation study reported that 10% of the 106 retailers surveyed claim to have been victimized by flash robs, while 79% of the retailers claim to have been victimized by multiple-offender crimes.

I spoke to John Timoney about this phenomenon a while ago. Timoney, who served as the Miami Police Chief, the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, and the NYPD's First Deputy Police Commissioner, knows a little something about unruly crowds and criminal activity.

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I first met Timoney when he was Philly's top cop. I covered the street riots during the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, and I saw Timoney and his police officers deal effectively with the violent and destructive protestors. I was impressed with Timoney's professionalism and the professionalism of the Philly cops under Timoney.

Timoney also oversaw crowd control and security for the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York, the Free Trade Association of America in Miami, and many other large security events over the years.

Staying on top of social media

Timoney said police departments need to hire young cops who know how to monitor social media in order to prevent or quickly respond to flash robs and other planned criminal acts.

"You've got to be in tune to these social means of communications," said Timoney. "This is a serious problem for police departments."

But what can a small business owner do?

Tips to protect your business from flash robs

• Remain in close contact with local police departments.
• Encourage the police to monitor social media and ask to be kept informed of any criminal activity near your place of business.
• Install surveillance cameras and lighting to deter flash rob criminals from targeting your business.
• Hire extra security.
• Place high-end products in locked containers with reinforced glass.
• Train employees to be alert and watch out for large groups of young people gathering outside or inside your place of business, and to report the gatherings to managers and/or security personnel.
• Instruct employees not to get into physical altercations.

Hopefully, your place of business will not be invaded by flash robs—but it's smart to be aware of the phenomenon and have guidelines in place to protect against it.

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