Sep 06, 2017

Predominantly, Burglary is a spontaneous crime.

While some businesses are premeditated targets, on the large, criminals take their chances when they spot an opportunity.

It means you can’t eliminate the risk entirely, but there are plenty of things you can do to increase the likelihood that a burglar won’t view your premises as easy pickings.

So to help you boost your security consciousness, here are FIVE QUESTIONS you should be able to answer.

1. Where are your specific risks

First up, do you know your businesses weaknesses? For example:

• How could burglars gain access?
• Are there any blind spots?
• Are there particular days of the weeks or parts of your operation that are more vulnerable than others

Only when you understand the risks at your place of work can you begin to design a security regime that offers you maximum protection.

[If you want a risk review carried out by professionals, we can help. For more details, call the office on 0800 852 7434.]

2. Who will attend your premises if you can’t?

As a minimum you should protect your premises with a burglar alarm, but who do you trust to attend your business/livelihood should your alarm sound?

Not only is an unattended alarm a noisy nuisance, but it tells criminals your property isn’t watched carefully. Did you know it’s not unusual for criminals to purposefully trip the alarm system to see if anybody comes of not? And if no one shows up, it criminals can feel more confident about committing a crime.

You can minimise this risk by nominating keyholders – people you trust to check out your property if the alarm sounds. Alternatively, you could consider working with a monitoring company or even upgrade to have the police respond to your alarm (this will usually be a requirement of your insurance.)

The more friendly eyes that are watching, the more protected your business will become.

3. What do burglars see when they look at your premises?

Would-be criminals see your business through very different eyes than other people.

• Where you see a beautiful tree – a criminal sees a protective barrier to hide behind
• Where you can see the stars at night – a criminal sees total cover by darkness
• Where you see a fence that needs fixing – a criminal sees an easy access point
• Where you see an open blind – the burglar sees what’s on show

Looking at your premises through fresh eyes can help you identify risks as well as revealing the checks and measures you need to implement to tighten up your security.

[And if you can’t see anything amiss, why not give us a call. After 30+ years’ experience, you’ll be surprised what our eyes detect that you overlook!]

4. Do you know who’s in your premises?

If you have visitors coming and going all day or a variety of shift patterns, you may find it tricky to keep tabs on who’s in your building, who’s missing, and who shouldn’t be there!

An easy way to remedy this is with access control.

This security measure puts you in control of who can enter and leave your building. Using access codes, key fobs, or cards you can protect your access points. There are other benefits too. For example, in the event of a fire your access control system could be used to create a print out of all people who are inside the building so the Fire Brigade can check they’ve accounted for everyone.

5. Have you done enough to safeguard the security of you and your staff?

Break-ins can lead to severe stress and disruption. After all, there’s a lot to deal with after a crime. The police will get involved and there will likely be an insurance claim. You may also lose work hours, essential equipment, or stock.

So when it comes to security, prevention is ALWAYS better than cure.

The good news is there is a LOT you can do as a business owner to tighten up the security of your business. From state-of-the-art CCTV to integrated access systems, and comprehensive intruder alarms, we’re here to help you beat the burglar.

So if you want to do more, book a free Site Survey when you call 0800 852 7434.  We’ll arm you with all the information you need to be able to answer these five questions with confidence.