Amazon's home security firm Ring is hiring journalists to report on crime, and it could help solve an expensive problem

Facebook/Ring

Ring is a home security company that sells smart video doorbells and security cameras.

• Amazon is hiring a managing editor to oversee a team of writers covering crime news for its home security firm Ring.
• Ring sells smart video doorbells and security cameras. Amazon acquired the company in 2018 for $1 billion.
• The news reporting team is likely to draw greater attention to crime in neighborhoods and encourage customers to invest more in home security. It would also help prevent theft of Amazon packages.

Amazon is getting into crime.

The online retail giant is looking to hire a managing editor to oversee a team of editors who will cover crime news for its home security firm Ring. In the job posting, first reported by Neiman Lab, Amazon wrote:

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"The Managing Editor, News will work on an exciting new opportunity within Ring to manage a team of news editors who deliver breaking crime news alerts to our neighbors." The role requires more than five years of experience in breaking news and crime reporting, it said.

A spokesperson for Amazon did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Ring is a home security company that sells smart video doorbells and security cameras that cost between $89 and $449, and which enable customers to monitor their homes directly from their smartphone or computer. Amazon acquired the company in 2018 for $1 billion.

Read more: Amazon's $1 billion acquisition of the doorbell-camera startup Ring is the company doing what it does best - and it should terrify every other retailer

Ring's mission, outlined on its website, is to reduce crime in local communities. This is evidenced in several videos on the site, showing examples of criminals being caught in the act by Ring cameras. To curb crime, it relies on its customers to spread the word via a separate app that it owns, Neighbors.

This neighborhood watch service alerts users on local crime incidents. Users can also share information and comment on these incidents or any suspicious activity. They can also share video clips shot by their Ring video doorbells and security cameras to alert neighbors of thieves. The technology was recently used to help catch an Uber driver suspected of burglarizing a home in California.

Crime reporting could help solve an expensive problem for Amazon

The news reporting team at Ring would be beneficial to Amazon as it's likely to draw greater attention to crime in neighborhoods and therefore, encourage people to invest in home security.

This could provide a handy boost for Ring sales and with more surveillance in homes, there is likely to be less package theft from porches, which is an expensive problem for any e-commerce retailer, including Amazon.

A recent survey by comparison-shopping service insuranceQuotes.com estimated that around 26 million Americans had a package stolen from their home during the most recent holiday season. And it's usually the e-commerce companies that pay the price for this as they will generally ship out a replacement.

It's not just the financial cost, however, stolen packages also have an impact on a brand's reputation and customer loyalty as ultimately, it's seen as an inconvenience to them.