Reducing Business Crime During the Holiday Season
You might consider the holiday season as a time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time with your loved ones. However, many criminals treat this season as an opportunity to commit crimes. They know that, during the holiday season, many people take vacation. This means there are fewer people around to catch them in the act if they try to break into a business. For instance, staff at your company may leave early during the holidays, or you may not have as many people working. This gives criminals a chance to strike.
Criminals also know that a lot of businesses close for a few days – or even longer – during this time of year. This provides them with a big opportunity to break into an office, warehouse, retail store, or any other type of business while no one is around.
Plus, now that winter is here, it gets darker earlier and earlier. Criminals often prefer to strike in the dark because the chances of them being caught in the act are significantly lower.
When all of these factors are combined, it becomes easy to see why this time of year is often accompanied by additional break-ins, thefts, and robberies at business properties. The good news is that there are ways to reduce the likelihood of such crimes taking place. Here are some ways to improve business security for the holiday season.
Use Adequate Lighting
As mentioned, criminals prefer to work in the dark. They also like to strike businesses when they know that no one is around. A good solution to both of these issues is to use proper lighting at your property. Exterior lighting makes it easier for passersby to catch a criminal in the act. It also gives criminals fewer places to hide. Consider installing lighting at every possible entry point as well in locations where criminals could position themselves and work on breaking in without being noticed. Motion-activated lights tend to be a good choice as they only turn on when they are needed.
It’s also a good idea to consider lighting inside your property. A completely dark office or warehouse is an obvious sign that there is no one inside and this can be very tempting for a criminal. You may wish to have lights set up on timers or ones that can be activated remotely so that it’s difficult to tell if anyone is working.
Train Staff
Make sure that your staff are aware of all of your company’s security policies and that they follow them exactly. Often crimes occur when a staff member forgets to lock a door, close a window, or otherwise properly secure the property before leaving for the day. Make sure that this doesn’t happen. It’s also a good idea to train your staff for how to best deal with any suspicious activity they see around your business.
Install Physical Security
Physical security gates deter criminals away from your business. The vast majority of crimes that take place at businesses are smash and grab robberies or other robberies involving forced entry. To prevent these crimes, have gates installed on doors, windows, and any other potential entry points. Make sure that your staff are trained to lock these gates when they leave the office. By having physical security gates installed, you prevent criminals from considering your property to be a target. They know how effective these gates are and often prefer to avoid locations that have them installed.