Warehouse Crime | Conviction of Warehouse Thieves

Over an extended period, a 34-year-old and a 36-year-old warehouse worker employed by the online retailer Amazon ordered inexpensive goods from their employer in order to have valuable items delivered to themselves instead of the articles actually ordered. When the orders arrived at the warehouse in Werne, one perpetrator was responsible for preparing the invoices, while the other labelled the parcels. In doing so, labels for low-value items such as toilet paper were affixed to expensive goods such as laptops and other electronic devices, meaning that only the weight of the parcel could have revealed its true contents at the point of dispatch. Naturally, the falsified orders were not placed in the names of the two perpetrators, but in those of a neighbour and a partner. When one of these allegedly regular consignments was eventually intercepted in the warehouse due to an initial suspicion, the value of this single delivery alone was found to amount to 7,600 euros. The total damage caused to Amazon can no longer be determined retrospectively; the police assume a six-figure sum.

Warehouse thefts such as in this case are by no means rare; many warehouse operatives succumb to the temptation to pocket small and inconspicuous products and let them disappear. That this constitutes theft under Section 242 of the German Criminal Code need hardly be mentioned. It usually begins with “harmless” thefts, but the longer the perpetrators get away with it, the bolder they become and the higher the sums of damage rise. If thefts of company property stored internally come to light, whether on a small or large scale, swift action is required. In the vast majority of cases, the thieves are to be found within the company’s own workforce. In order to investigate warehouse theft by identifying and securing court-admissible evidence against the perpetrators, our IHK-certified business detectives from Dortmund conduct surveillance in the affected warehouses (depending on the case during or outside working hours) or are deployed undercover by the aggrieved company as supposed employees in order to gain discreet access to operational processes and staff: +49 231 8401 0065.

Internal or External Perpetrators? Who Is Involved?

Warehouse thefts are, of course, not committed exclusively by internal offenders. Based on various indicators, our security experts can determine whether a break-in has occurred, for example if locks have been damaged, alarm systems disabled or clear signs of forced entry such as smashed windows and broken doors have been left behind. In such cases, the perpetrators are usually external offenders; however, break-ins are sometimes staged in order to divert suspicion from the real thieves within the company’s own ranks. Furthermore, collusion between internal and external perpetrators frequently occurs: access data such as door codes or copies of warehouse keys are passed on to third parties in order to share the proceeds of a subsequent break-in. The stolen goods are often not taken for personal use but resold, which fulfils the criminal offence of handling stolen goods under Section 259 of the German Criminal Code.

While the police detection rate is already at a dismal level even in clearly recognisable cases of burglary, they do not even take action in cases of mere suspicion of warehouse theft. Our Kurtz Investigations Dortmund, by contrast, is available to affected companies at all times with practical support, either by monitoring the company premises, especially the warehouse areas, or by specifically observing individual employees who have aroused suspicion through statements, behaviour or the course of events. Undercover detectives in particular have the opportunity to look over the shoulders of warehouse staff and logistics personnel and catch them red-handed, for example when they conceal items in their pockets or pass on internal company information to third parties via mobile phone.

Security Measures Often Insufficient

Night-time thefts of goods in the third-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia are not uncommon, as Dortmund is known not only for its history in heavy industry but more than ever as a location for many different manufacturing companies. In addition to pallets, steel, building materials etc. from one of the many large companies such as WILO, for example automotive components from Elmos, a supplier to the automotive industry, may also be stolen. In order to protect themselves against such thefts, large companies in particular have set high security standards: apart from alarm systems, night watchmen, cameras on the exterior walls of company buildings and much more, employees are often searched when leaving the premises. Yet all these and further security measures are often insufficient to protect against internal thieves, especially as legal restrictions such as employees’ personal rights must be observed in all precautions. If thefts have occurred despite precautionary measures, our Kurtz Detective Agency Dortmund will help to identify the perpetrators, whether from within the workforce or outside it: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-dortmund.de.

Naturally, it is not only manufacturers of building materials and automotive parts who are affected or threatened by theft; every manufacturing company, every logistics firm and even every larger craft business must fear that products will be stolen from warehouses or production halls and subsequently resold or retained for personal use. Our detectives from Dortmund therefore recommend that all potentially affected businesses examine their balance sheets and unit quantities very closely for discrepancies in order to determine at an early stage whether they are affected by theft.

Deliveries Incomplete, Warehouse Being Plundered? Kurtz Investigations Dortmund Takes Over the Investigation.

Have you or one of your warehouse operatives discovered that pallets of goods regularly disappear or that product deliveries are already incomplete when loaded onto the lorry? Do you suspect that one of your employees is behind thefts and misappropriations or that external thieves intend to harm your company? In these or other cases of warehouse theft, contact our Dortmund private detectives to receive a free consultation regarding the possible course of action and to instruct our investigators with clarifying the offence. You can reach us during our business hours (Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00) on the following telephone number: +49 231 8401 0065.