Tips On Protecting Your Business Premises From Thieves

Commercial burglary can be devastating for a small business, especially if valuable stock is damaged or stolen, or your premises are damaged so that you cannot trade.  Here are some tips on how to prevent thieves from targeting your business premises.

Access

If you have keys to your office buildings, only give them to trusted members of staff and keep a register of who has keys.  Change your locks in the event that a staff member leaves the company or if the keys are mislaid or stolen.

Push-button entry coded locks are a good idea for internal doors, but you must change the codes on a regular basis or when staff members leave your employ.

CCTV cameras

CCTV cameras are a great deterrent to burglars, but you must keep them clean, well-maintained, and properly serviced by the supplier.  Once a week, check that the date and time shown on the camera are correct; any footage will not be admissible in court as evidence in a crime if the date and time are not accurate.

Make sure that the cameras face the door so that an intruder's face is clearly visible.

You must also have clear signage displayed outside your premises to the effect that CCTV is in operation.

Burglar alarms

The best alarm systems are those that have a police response feature.  Be sure to change alarm codes regularly and keep a log of which of your staff members know what the codes are. 

Security lighting

Continual dawn to dusk lighting is usually more effective than movement sensor linked lighting.   However, do make sure that the lights don't shine straight into your CCTV camera, obscuring the image.

Setting some of your interior lights on a timer can help to make it appear that someone is always around on the premises, providing a good deterrent for would-be thieves.

Cash

If you must have cash on your business premises, don't leave it there overnight or invest in a good-quality, fire-proof safe in which to keep it.

Tills should be placed well away from exit doors to deter opportunist thieves.  At close of business, empty the tills and leave them with the drawers open so that onlookers know there's no cash to be had.

In conclusion

Preventing crime in the workplace is simple and usually inexpensive.  For more practical advice and information on protecting your business premises from would-be thieves, have a chat with your local commercial security systems company.