Hello!
Owning a business is no mean feat, and any steps that can be taken to ease the burden of the endless string of things to do are more than welcome for many – if not all – business owners. Wages, stock, supplier relationships, admin; there’s so much for business people to worry about without the fear of theft or property damage, but unfortunately, commercial crime is high up on the list of potential business threats.
With $800 million worth of retail property losses in the USA in 2015 and almost half a million business burglary offences that same year, commercial crime is a costly offence and its effects can be devastating to say the least.
With these excessively high statistics in mind, as a business owner, you need to prioritize commercial security. If you don’t, you could fact huge losses in the future. In this article, we will go through ways you can keep your business premises safe from intruders and crime.
CCTV
The first port of call for keeping your business safe is in the form of closed circuit television, more commonly known as CCTV. This is a technique employed for both commercial security and retail security because it’s highly effective in almost all scenarios.
In the event someone does break into your property or cause criminal damage, having video evidence of it not only makes it more likely that the police will be able to identify the perpetrator, but the chances of a successful conviction are also increased because of solid evidence.
You can pick up CCTV cameras relatively cheaply and most can be installed without the need for professional assistance. Putting one camera above each door, both internally and externally, as well as near the cash register should suffice and provide you with adequate coverage should the worst happen.
Also read: How to Start A Business From Scratch
Alarm
Paired with CCTV, an alarm system is a very effective way of protecting your business from intrusion and vandalism. Most burglaries happen when business premises are dormant and unoccupied.
This means overnight, early mornings and days off such as public holidays are times when thieves are most likely to strike. To counteract this, an alarm system will take the place of a physical person.
According to data, commercial properties are 4.5x more likely to be targeted if they do not have an alarm. In addition, as much as 74% of incomplete burglaries are due to a loud alarm going off.
A keypad alarm adds a double layer of security beyond a keylock which can easily be picked, so should the criminal get through the door, unless the correct pin is entered, a loud alarm will go off which should deter the intruder from progressing any further, especially if CCTV is installed.
Doors
If you own an office or a retail property, you will more than likely have a back area where you keep your safe and important documents/files, as well as computers and other technology items that could be valuable to a criminal.
Having a secured front door is one thing, but a good way to really stop a potential intruder is to double up on obstacles, including doors.
Something as simple as adding a door to your office or invoice/storage room and locking it could put a burglar off going any further.
Again, paired with CCTV and an alarm system, the criminal will more than likely be deterred because time is of the essence and with a loud alarm announcing their presence and CCTV confirming it, picking their way through another door might prove too much.
These are just three basic ways you can keep your business premises safe from intruders and criminals.
They’re inexpensive methods but they could prove to be invaluable when it comes to keeping your business and your staff’s livelihoods safe.
Thank you!
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