Leeds Employee Theft Case Study
Leeds Employee Theft Case Study – Titan Investigations
Leeds employee theft, do you have suspicions that an employee is stealing from your business?
We were recently contacted by a National haulage company based in Leeds who had suspicions that a number of employees may be involved in the syphoning off diesel from company heavy goods vehicles. The main cause for this suspicion was due to the fuel economy is noticeably low and had altered recently despite the drivers not changing.
One of Titan’s Leeds Private Investigators from our Corporate Investigations Team visited the client for a free and confidential consultation to discover the facts and produce a bespoke investigation plan. After studying the vehicles onboard GPS tracking devices and fuel card transactions it was evident that the thefts weren’t occurring at the point of purchase and that the likely window of opportunity for the theft to occur was during the day when the vehicles appeared to be attending the drivers home addresses. This in itself was peculiar behaviour and not authorised by the company.
Employee theft there’s nothing worse than stealing from the hand that feeds!
Analytical work was completed, interrogating the onboard vehicle GPS trackers and certain days were identified that each vehicle religiously attended the drivers respective home addresses. Static observations utilising 2 surveillance operatives commenced at each address for a 5-hour period to cover the highlighted times from the analytical work conducted. Video evidence was obtained of all 4 drivers syphoning fuel from the heavy goods vehicles using an electric pump to convey diesel from the fuel tanks of the vehicles into a plastic container. The syphoning took minutes, but we believe from the size of the plastic containers that approximately 30 litres were syphoned away.
Due to Titan’s previous law enforcement background, all of our video evidence is exhibited and retained in line with the latest criminal justice guidelines to ensure its integrity will be retained and be admissible if so required in future criminal proceedings.
Leeds Employee Theft Case – The Final Outcome
All 4 employees admitted theft of diesel over a 6 month period after Titan Investigations irrefutable video evidence was disclosed. They were all dismissed for gross misconduct during an internal disciplinary hearing in July 2019.
How can a Titan Leeds Private Investigators help your Leeds based business?
Why Do Employees Steal?
Within the workplace, there is inbuilt situational crime prevention, whether that be CCTV, access control or physical security. Employees will identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in these over time and therefore have an opportunity to potentially bypass them. If an employee has the rationalisation and motivation they have all the elements to commit theft or fraud. This can be seen below in the fraud triangle.
Titan Private Investigation Ltd has a team of investigators who are well versed in handling employee investigations in the Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge and London areas, however, we have a National reach due to our central location. We are happy to handle the investigation in its entirety or small elements of it, whatever you as the client requires. You may require covert surveillance, the use of covert cameras or GPS tracking equipment to safeguard assets. Whatever your requirements Titan will have a solution which is legal and moral to gain the results you require.
How do a Titan’s Leeds Private Investigators conduct a workplace investigation?
Make a plan
Once a complaint has been made it’s easy to get carried away and start organising interview dates. Take a step back and consider;
- Who will investigate?
- What will be investigated?
- What evidence needs to be collected?
- Who will be interviewed?
Be objective
Don’t ignore the complaint from a person who has made a complaint before or treat them with less credibility. The 10th time they come to you, you should still listen to them as if it were the first. Don’t form an opinion before the investigation is complete, pass judgment or form an opinion based on personal feeling or prior dealings.
Avoid aggressive tactics
Ask straightforward questions to get straightforward answers, and always be respectful. Lawsuits can be avoided if there is a perception of fairness and respect that is delivered across the board.
Be quick but thorough
While HR professionals have many demands on their time, it’s critical to investigate an allegation quickly. You need to make it a priority and set the time aside. Stretching an investigation out over a lengthy period tells employees the alleged misconduct isn’t important.
Maintain confidentiality
Encourage all those involved in the investigation to keep the proceedings confidential to protect the integrity of the process. If word leaks out, other employees will lose trust and might refuse to share what they know.
Reach a conclusion
Ultimately, the investigator must weigh the evidence and conclude whether company policies were violated or if misconduct occurred. In a criminal trial, prosecutors must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that an act occurred. However, the standard for workplace investigations is “the preponderance of the evidence.” Is it more likely than not that the incident occurred?
Follow up
Submit the findings to the decision-maker who will determine what disciplinary action to take.
Notify the employee who made the complaint that action was taken, even if details can’t be shared for privacy reasons.
Who do I contact to inquire further about Leeds Employee Theft and Corporate Investigations?
You can speak to Titan’s corporate investigations team by contacting one of our 7 offices nearest to your location.
Leeds Corporate Investigators – Call our Leeds Office on 0113 4574066
Sheffield Corporate Investigators – Call our Sheffield Office on 0114 3499400
Nottingham Corporate Investigators – Call our Nottingham Office on 01159 646950
Derby Corporate Investigators – Call our Derby Office on 01332 504256
Leicester Corporate Investigators – Call our Leicester on Office 01162 436520
Cambridge Corporate Investigators – Call our Cambridge on Office 01223 662022
London Corporate Investigators – Call our London Office on 020 39046622
For more information or advice about Titan’s Corporate Investigations, you can contact us using our fully confidential contact form and one of our dedicated team will get right back to you or use our Live Chat facility to chat directly with one of our Leeds Private Investigators.
