Chicago/Illinois Security Guard PERC Practice Exam

One of the primary duties of loss prevention would be to

1. Prevent shoplifting and packages

2. Arrest and prosecute

3. Deter with presence

4. All of the above

The correct answer is: Prevent shoplifting and packages

The primary duty of loss prevention within a retail environment is indeed to prevent shoplifting and theft, choice A is correct. This means focusing on implementing measures to deter potential thieves including things like CCTV surveillance, alarm systems, security tagging, and routine patrols, as well as educating staff about incident prevention and detection. While loss prevention officers may engage in actions such as deterring with presence or being involved in the arrest and prosecution process, these are secondary goals that fall under the broader objective of minimizing loss through shoplifting and theft. Thus, the top priority for loss prevention is proactively eliminating opportunities for theft to occur in the first place.