Smash-and-grab robbery rings, a new way of organized crime.
Recently, in November of 2021, it looked like a movie clip when groups of young people rushed out of cars into the Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco.
Down in L.A.’s Grove shopping mall, a few weeks later, another organized group used sledgehammers on a Nordstrom store.
The way these crimes are happening indicates organization between the foot soldiers who execute the orders and other groups of commanders texting messages to these soldiers guiding and alerting them about outside security.
Rob Bonta, California attorney, said the crime spikes we are going through are organized crime, and it will take a strategy to stop it. There has been a huge increment in the smash and grab crimes in California stores, warehouses, high-rise buildings, hotels, and other retail stores.
As much as the Police do their best efforts to strengthen their presence against these events, there is still a lot of room in a big city to protect, and they cannot cover.
Big stores like Amazon, eBay, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and others are already implementing ways to work against this spike in robberies. They recommended retailers are reporting theft, crime, get camera security, hire armed or unarmed security protection, etc. and that way minimize the risk of being the target of these organized crime structures.
Recent proposition 47 has reduced the consequences of shoplifting by reducing its consequences. Criminals are getting more entitled to commit their crimes and are willing to face small consequences for damaging other retailers and hard-working business owners by stealing their goods.
There is a latent ongoing issue and we have to take ownership of it. As hard-working business owners, we cannot rely on good or bad decisions taken by big companies and politicians, we have to make sure we are taking our own steps to protect our dreams and move safer in the middle of one of the most dangerous cities in the world.