Women Leaders in Security: Cristina

The world of professional security may be a male-dominated industry, but women are increasingly taking the lead and playing an integral role in the field. At Blackbird Security, we believe that diversity makes us stronger and are proud to employ a number of highly skilled female managers. 

We’re excited to shine a spotlight on a few of these women in upcoming blog posts. Today, we’re highlighting the exceptional work of Cristina. 

Cristina is our Loss Prevention Officer (LPO) manager in Ontario. Her duties involve training her Loss Prevention Team  in areas such as making safe arrests and recovering stolen products. She also focuses on following up on and getting results from arrests made by her team. 

Today, we’re diving into her story and will learn more about Loss Prevention, as well as her advice for women interested in a career in security. 

From Childhood Dream to Blackbird Security 

Since she was a child, Cristina dreamed of becoming a police officer. Following in the footsteps of her dad who was also a police officer, she found herself drawn to the idea of helping people through security and the excitement of thwarting criminals. 

As she got older, her passion remained: she knew she wanted a career in either security or law enforcement. When it came time for her to go to post-secondary, she pursued both Police Foundations and Justice Studies. She soon landed her first job as a Loss Prevention Officer. 

After working her way up and overcoming the barriers women often face in the industry, Cristina is now doing an incredible job as manager of the Ontario Loss Prevention Team at Blackbird Security. She shares that her time at Blackbird has been extremely positive, citing that her coworkers are fantastic to work with, and she has felt mentored and supported since day one. The working environment is also warm and tight-knit, which she says has helped her shape the team that she leads today. 

Advice for Women in Security 

If you’re a woman considering a career in security, Cristina wants you to keep in mind that there is still prejudice towards women in law enforcement. She has worked hard to overcome the doubts and questions of others, who were concerned that she wouldn’t succeed because of her smaller size. 

Her advice? 

It’s all about attitude. If you feel that you can go and do it, then absolutely [you can] … I’ve done it for the past six years and have loved every single bit of it. Go out there and prove them wrong, ladies. 

She emphasizes that Toronto has a number of incredible law enforcement officers that she admires, including police officers, detectives, investigators, and 911 operators. It’s also highly rewarding, she explains, to catch a shoplifter and see their surprise at who impeded them. Cristina believes that those moments make all the discrimination and prejudice worth it. 

We believe part of what makes Cristina such a great manager is her very experience as a woman in security. Knowing how difficult the job can be at times and understanding the importance of feeling supported has made her a caring and attentive leader – she keeps lines of communication with her employees open at all times and works hard to make sure that everyone feels heard, supported, and is thriving at work. 

Fostering an Exceptional Loss Prevention Team at Blackbird Security

One of the reasons our Loss Prevention Teams are so effective is thanks to their training at Blackbird Academy. Thorough training is one of Cristina’s top priorities as she manages the Ontario Loss Prevention Team. Providing the right training and making sure that each officer is fully equipped to carry out their responsibilities helps ensure well-rounded, first-class protection for businesses. 

For example, our Loss Prevention Officers are not only trained in the security aspects of their role, but are also trained in customer service to make sure that their presence is approachable, helpful, and non-threatening. This allows retail staff to focus on their job, knowing that our security officers are there to take care of both security threats and concerned customers.

Partner with Blackbird Security for Your Loss Prevention Needs

Loss Prevention Teams at Blackbird Security play a vital role in supporting the retailers and businesses they serve. Retail loss is a huge financial threat to Canadian businesses, causing retailers to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. With Loss Prevention Officers stationed on-site at a retail space, however, instances of shoplifting are significantly reduced. Our uniformed officers not only serve as a formidable deterrent to theft, but are also skilled at intercepting criminals before they can leave with any stolen product.