Nine hundred thousand small companies are subjected to crime every year. According to the Federation of small businesses, businesses violated by criminals have to pay £17 billion in direct costs to reinstate any losses. Some of the affected companies cannot recover and are forced to liquidate their remaining assets and shut down completely.
The police are often reactive to crime and intend to investigate and find criminals who have already affected a given business. But there is not enough police on the force to deter criminals from attacking firms in the first instance.
Thus, to a degree, it’s up to each company owner to instigate security measures to protect their investment, and avoid any criminal activity that could be costly to their finances and reputation.
For four security solutions that prevent criminals from accessing your business premises, read below.
Secure Entrances
Upon assessing your business’s entry points, contact a locksmith for an array of advanced security solutions to add additional security layers to your business.
For example, you may want to invest in keyless entry access control installation instead of manual keys, to reduce the risk of criminals picking the locks on your business’s doors.
Minimise Valuable Equipment On-Site
Where possible, only store expensive business resources, equipment and large cash sums on-site when it’s necessary. If criminals see or hear you hold an extensive amount of expensive items at your company, it’ll become attractive to thieves.
Otherwise, if you have expensive assets on-site, ensure they are challenging to move or sell.
Invest In CCTV
You can purchase CCTV for the external and internal areas of your business. Some CCTV systems will send you a notification when there is movement on-site, allowing you to see the activity in real-time.
When this happens, you can alert the police that someone is breaking into your business premises, and provide evidence of the occurrence from the CCTV footage.
Ensure potential criminals are aware you have CCTV installed by hanging signs that declare “CCTV is in operation.” However, be sure to follow the law when installing your CCTV. For instance, it’s unlawful to take CCTV footage of any areas outside of your companies property boundaries.
Intruder Alarm
Should your unwanted visitors make it past the CCTV, and new lock system, adding an intruder alarm can prevent criminals from taking a step further into your business.
An intruder alarm is incredibly loud and distracting. They will attract the attention of nearby business owners, homeowners and passers-by. The last thing criminals want is attention, and people witnessing their crime. Thus, the criminals are likely to disperse and avoid the prospect of being caught by onlookers and the police.
Your small business’s enhanced security measures’ prime role is to make your establishment appear like a difficult company to target. With numerous layers of security and protection, thieves will be deterred and seek other businesses with easier access elsewhere.