Thefts are a huge concern to business owners from all fields and sizes, and the aftermath of a robbery can be hugely detrimental to your profits, and your staff’s confidence in the workplace.
Keeping your premises secure should be the number one priority for businesses large and small, but statistically speaking, it is the wholesale and retail sector who is most at risk – statistics show that retail businesses lost almost 5.5 billion pounds1 (£5.5 billion).
If you’re looking to protect your business from thefts and prevent yourself from becoming another sad statistic, the team here at I-SPY CCTV have put together 5 top tips for improving your business’s security.
1. Install CCTV cameras
CCTV has been proven to deter burglars, so installing a CCTV system will immediately lower the chance of burglars targeting your business, as the likelihood of being caught on camera and identified is high, making the burglary too risky. Because of this, CCTV should be your first step in securing your premises.
On top of protecting your business from outside burglary attempts, CCTV can also help tackle staffing issues – whether it’s small thefts, threatening behaviour or just generally not acting as they should, CCTV can help you monitor your staff and help maintain a safe work environment for all.
Because of the increased security that comes with having CCTV, you will find that your staff will feel more confident going about their jobs, knowing that they are safely being monitored for any signs of trouble, and you will find that even away from your work site you can relax, confident that your premises is safe.
Finally, as another added bonus, the introduction of CCTV into your work premises can decrease your insurance costs as CCTV is a proven way of reducing the chance of burglaries, making your business less likely to need to make an insurance claim and thereby requiring less premium coverage.
2. Conduct regular property inspections
It’s all well and good having every security measure known to man set up around your premises, but if these measures were to fail or become damaged, they are worthless when it comes to protecting your property.
Whether it’s a hole in a fence panel giving access to thieves or vandals or your burglar alarm blowing a fuse, if your property isn’t in top condition, your security is jeopardised.
To prevent instances like this occurring and to ensure your security is upheld, perform regular property inspections, checking for any signs of damage or weaknesses that can be used by outsiders to gain entry. Whether you perform this yourself or hire a professional agency to do it for you, you will need to be very thorough – even the slightest bit of damage can be manipulated to a thief’s advantage.
3. Set out an emergency plan
Unfortunately, not all burglaries happen out of hours, when staff, customers and clients are safely out of harm’s way. Armed robberies are, sadly, a common occurrence, and if you and your staff aren’t prepared for this situation, lives could be put in jeopardy. No one likes to think about such horrible situations, but it is necessary to prepare for the worst. Set out an emergency plan for staff to follow if a dangerous situation were to arise, and remember, it is always better to hand over keys to safes and money rather than put your employees’ lives at risk.
You can also invest in security grilles to be installed around high-risk areas, such as safes and staff areas, to provide some extra security, and a panic button can be especially useful, alerting the police of the dangerous situation and scaring thieves away.
4. Invest in quality lighting
Outdoor lighting can act as a deterrent to thieves and vandals as it makes it harder for intruders to find a safe place to hide and stay undercover while they commit their crimes. Also, a well lit building attracts too much attention from passersby, so criminals are much less likely to target a lit property than one in the dark.
A well lit exterior can also increase your staff’s confidence, especially in the dark winter evenings when it can be quite intimidating to be walking alone. New LED lighting is very cheap to run and now offers excellent brightness.
5. Hire security guards
Hiring some security guards to monitor the goings on in and around your premises will certainly put a dampener on any plans a potential thief or vandal may have had. The simple presence of a person is usually enough to deter criminals, but if they know that the people on site are also trained in handling security breaches, it is very unlikely that they will continue in their attempts.
Hiring security guards will also do wonders for the general safety of your staff, with the ability to remove any unsavoury characters or argumentative customers from your property in a matter of minutes, making your business a more enjoyable working environment.
References
1 British Retail Consortium (2019) Retail Crime Survey 2018, London: British Retail Consortium
