Page 24 - PWM2025_MAY EBOOK

BETTER BUSINESS

You couldn’t

make it up

Sometimes we come across stories of criminality
that are so outlandish as to be unbelievable –
where the brass neck of the perpetrators is beyond
belief. Yet these stories are often, remarkably, true,
by Adam Bernstein And then there was the ‘lesser’ case
C from 2008 which Printweek also
onsider the Antwerp
World Diamond Centre
reported on. In this instance, a pro-
robbery in 2003 – a break-
duction worker at book printing firm
in at a vault two floors
underground protected by
no fewer than 10 layers of
ious books over an 11-month period
security. As the story tells, Leonardo Clays had been stealing copies of var-
from a plant in Bungay, Suffolk, to
Notarbartolo disguised himself as a sell on eBay for around £5 each. It is
diamond merchant and moved into not clear how many were stolen or
an apartment next to the centre in how much he had gained from selling
2000 and in 2003 he and his crew them.
stole diamonds and gold worth Interestingly, the government’s
$100m without triggering any of the 2023 Commercial Victimisation
63 security cameras. Bizarrely, Survey (CVS), updated in September
Notarbartolo was eventually linked to 2024, found – among things – that
the crime by roadside rubbish and his an estimated 26% (409,000) of all
DNA found on a sandwich. business premises, in England and
Not quite as extreme, but never- Wales, were a victim of a CVS crime that “it’s not uncommon for organised crime groups to begin targeting
theless outrageous, is the theft in during the previous 12 months; and businesses if they notice there’s a lack of effective security on-site”.
November 2024 of the entire rPET the most prevalent offence type expe- And then there’s employee-related theft, which will often target the
recycling plant from QC Polymer (in rienced by businesses was theft removal of easy-to-conceal company property.
administration). As Printweek (14%), followed by burglary includ- Dave Kearns, managing director of the Expert Investigations Group, sees
reported in December, the line was ing attempted burglary (8%) . three different vectors for attack.
found to be stolen on the eve before a The first comes through external players who commit fraud or who per-
public inspection of assets before an Risks of loss petrate cyberattacks for financial gain by, for example, either obtaining
auction. Printweek wrote that, nota- Zachariah Islam, managing direc- monies via false invoicing or supplier frauds. He warns that “gaining access
bly, “the administrators had esti- tor of Region Security Guarding, says for data, including personal details, can enable fraudsters to use identifica-
mated that it would have taken seven that loss in commercial and indus- tion for other fraud or criminal means.”
days to dismantle this plant, and a trial environments is more prevalent Next comes external physical theft by what he terms the ‘typical crimi-
fleet of 10 articulated lorries and two than many business owners might nal’ through burglary, walk in theft, and criminal damage. He notes that it
cranes to cart it away”. assume – “while retail settings often should be obvious what the initial effect that theft and burglary can have on
Just as peculiar, is another case focus on shoplifting, industrial and a business, but “one must also consider the loss of downtime and produc-
that Printweek reported at the begin- commercial sectors face diverse risks tivity as a result of the theft... this could be theft of certain tools, computers
ning of this year of a “customer- that can lead to significant financial or vehicles”.
owned item” worth £50,000 that had losses”. Thirdly, Kearns highlights the risk of internal theft and fraud committed
gone missing from the failed Works Typically his firm sees crimes relat- by employees.
Manchester. It was not disclosed ing to external theft which will most He adds that in “over 25 years I have investigated in every type of com-
what the item was, but the value commonly involve trespassing and mercial, industrial or manufacturing business. The offences and those that
alone should be enough to raise eye- break-ins targeting valuable stock, go undetected are and have been committed at all hierarchal levels of a
brows. machinery, and even fuel. He says business”. He continues: “When several people are involved, or senior/

24 PrintWeek MENA May 2025 www.printweekmena.com