Bike
stores are common targets for criminals. Here are some bike shop security tips
that will keep your property and your assets safe from smash and grab criminals
Protecting Bike Stores from Robberies and Crime
There are at least 7,000 bike shops in the
United States, and they produce sales of more than $6 billion each year. With
millions of bicycles sold every year, it’s obviously a big market with a lot of
demand. And todays bicycles have so many options are professionally designed
and built with sticker prices in the thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, that
also means it’s a big target for criminals.
Criminals often target bike shops because
bicycles, are very valuable, also easy to move out of a store in a hurry. They
have a high value on the black market and are quite difficult to track once
they’ve been stolen. Many criminals steal bicycles, then quickly and easily
resell them online to unsuspecting victims. The ease of these crimes and the
high potential for profit make bike shop theft quite common.
This means that bike shop security is
incredibly vital. Storefront windows and doors need to have a layer of security.
Here are some tips to keep your bicycle store safe from criminals.
Keep Product Out of Sight
It makes sense to display desirable and
attractive bikes near store windows during business hours. These bicycles
attract people into the store and likely increase sales. However, during the
night, these same tactics attract criminals. It’s important to keep high-value
products away from windows and doors when your store is closed for business.
Otherwise, criminals who are scouting properties for potential crime targets may
choose your property.
While it might be time-consuming to move displays out of windows at night, doing so will go a long way to protect your inventory.
Use Physical Security
A crucial aspect of bike shop security is
physical security tools. While an alarm system can alert police to a crime in
progress and surveillance cameras can record evidence, only physical security
gates keep criminals out.
As mentioned, criminals don’t want to be
seen committing a crime. They’d rather break into a bike store, steal what
they’re looking for, and leave the scene long before the police arrive. Even if
the authorities are contacted as soon as a store is broken into, it takes time
for them to respond to a call. By the time they do, the criminals are often
long gone.
Physical security tools keep criminals out. In fact, they create such a strong barrier that they deter criminals from even considering a property to be a target. They’d much rather choose an easier store where the likelihood of being caught is much lower. However, while the store is open, gates can easily be rolled or folded out of the way, keeping your bike store looking welcoming during business hours.
Use Lighting
Criminals do not want to be caught
committing a crime. That’s why smash and grab robberies are so common among
thieves. They want to be in and out of a store as quickly as possible so that
no one can catch them or stop them. Improving the lighting around your property
helps make crimes more noticeable, which keeps criminals away. They would much
rather work in the dark where the likelihood of being spotted is significantly
lower.
Consider installing motion-activated lights
on the exterior of your building. These will save on electricity costs (since
they only turn on when motion is detected) and they’ll keep criminals away.
Lighting can also improve the video quality captured by surveillance cameras,
so you’ll be more likely to get usable evidence if a crime does take place.
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