Never Leave Casual Workers Unsupervised With a Cash Float

A personal recommendation is not a security clearance. In May 2026, a woman was hired for a single-day assignment at an NLCB lottery booth on Cascade Road, St Ann’s, on the strength of a referral from someone the booth agent knew. By mid-afternoon she had locked the booth, left without notice, and disappeared with $3,514 in cash. The agent returned to find the location locked and all contact attempts deflected with a claim of a family emergency. No formal identity check had been done, and no permanent staff member was present during her shift. Small retail and service operations across T&T regularly fill short-term roles through informal networks, but the trust extended to a referred worker is trust in the referrer — not in the person referred. A cash-handling role requires the same basic controls regardless of whether the worker is in their first day or their fifth year: known identity, supervised access, and a reconciled float.

Steps to follow:

• Before assigning any temporary or casual worker to a cash-handling role, obtain a government-issued ID and record the name, photograph, and ID number — do not accept a social referral as a substitute for verification.
• Assign a permanent staff member to remain physically present at the booth or counter for the entire duration of a temp worker’s shift; do not leave a casual worker alone with the cash float at any point during the day.
• Reconcile the float at the start of the shift and at midday as well as close of business; a discrepancy identified during the day allows you to act before the suspect leaves the premises.
• Do not allow a temporary worker to hold the premises key, lock the location independently, or leave unaccompanied at any point — control of the premises should rest with a permanent staff member.
• If a temp worker leaves the site unexpectedly during working hours, secure the cash immediately, conduct a full count, and contact police if any amount is missing — do not wait to resolve the matter privately first.
• Report the theft and the worker’s identity details to police as soon as the discrepancy is confirmed; delays intended for internal follow-up reduce the likelihood of recovery and allow the suspect to put distance between themselves and the scene.