Five security essentials to protect your business from crime

Crime is preventable and safeguarding your businesses through the use of technology is essential. Whether you want to avoid burglaries or common vandalism, you need to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations to protect your brand’s identity.

Security should be one of your main focuses and with the help of 2020 Vision, providers of access control systems, we look at some of the most efficient items that you need in place to protect your property.

1) Deploy CCTV effectively across your business

A shocking statistic that you might be unaware of is that for every 100 crimes, an average of 16 are prevented using CCTV. If a business hasn’t already installed a CCTV system, it is already at risk and criminals who want to commit horrendous crimes against that business can instantly spot vulnerabilities.

It is also known for crime rates (burglaries and vehicle crimes) to reduce in areas that have active CCTV systems. 

The benefit of CCTV is that any footage recorded can be used by a police force. For example, if there was no CCTV in place, it could take longer to catch the criminal as detectives would have to search for CCTV in the local area, obtain that footage and then look through it.

If a business has been victim to a crime, but has CCTV, it can be a much quicker process; although active CCTV can deter criminals completely from attacking a business.

2) Use CCTV across perimeters

It is vital to think on your feet when it comes to placing CCTV around your perimeter. It is important to be able to identify people who come and go from the business daily.

From this, you can use the high-quality footage to identify an individual and this will allow police to pick up on certain characteristics that may lead them to the culprits. It may also be necessary to capture vulnerable points to make sure all areas of a business are covered.

3) Hire guards for empty buildings

Businesses that handle money should be aware that they could be at risk. These types of companies should create a procedure that is tested and carried out regularly regarding transferring money from one location to another. A security prospect that businesses should be looking into is hiring guards when a commercial building is empty. It’s also worth looking at hardware security systems that can help prevent any cyber threats.

4) Seek out neighbourhood watch groups in your area

There are a few ways that local communities can help prevent crime in their local area — and this is something that most residents want to achieve to reduce risk and worries. Neighbourhood watch schemes are common methods to prevent crime in the home but can also be beneficial to businesses in the same area. Another surprising statistic is that an average of 26 crimes out of every 100 is prevented through schemes like these.

Neighbourhood watch programmes work by ultimately getting the local community involved and promoting a safer area to live. Usually, those who have enrolled onto a scheme usually help by assisting people who are detecting crime in that area, although there are some things that businesses can do to encourage more action.

5) Engage with staff and neighbours

It is important to engage with and encourage your staff and neighbouring businesses to report any suspicious behaviour on their premises. Communication is key, and this is something that could have a great impact and prevent any type of potential crime.

Becoming familiar with other businesses and their staff is important. Organise regular social events that all can participate in to further develop relationships between the companies whilst also allowing your staff to become more familiar with who they could potentially be communicating with when it comes to reporting any type of suspicious behaviour.

6) Engage with local police force

Create a stronger relationship with the police force that operates within your area. This will encourage a greater flow of information and intelligence between your employees and the police.

7) Improve street lighting

If your business operates in a dark area with little light, whether this is due to no streetlights or blocked by trees — you need to improve on this. If your building is lit, it can be easier to identify people who have been captured on CCTV — but it could also put people off committing that act completely as there is a greater chance they could be caught in action.

It is beneficial to know that when it comes to violent and property damage, crime dropped by 21% in areas that were properly illuminated compared to areas that were not.