Deterring Criminals from your Property
Unfortunately, a lot of property owners only consider taking security precautions after they have been victims of a crime. After all, these people have witnessed firsthand how disruptive, costly and emotional a break-in or other crime can be, and they don’t want to go through such a situation ever again.
However, you can save yourself a lot of hassle and cost by protecting your property before a criminal strikes. As an added bonus, protecting your property with strong physical security tools (such as security gates) will actually deter criminals from striking and cause them to stop considering your property a target.
How Security Gates Deter Criminals
Many robberies that happen at stores, office buildings and other such properties are smash and grab robberies. In these situations, criminals use force to break through windows or doors in other to gain access to a property. In most cases, weapons such as baseball bats, crowbars or bricks are used to break through the glass.
Smash and grab robberies are common since they do not require specialized tools or skills to commit. They are also common because they can take place very quickly, reducing the chances of being caught. Many of them last only a few minutes and some last just seconds. Criminals can be in and out of a property long before authorities can respond to alarms or phone calls.
Physical security tools such as security gates drastically reduce smash and grab robberies. They restrict access and make it virtually impossible for criminals to use typical smash and grab tactics to enter a property. If a criminal wants to attempt to circumvent security gates, they’ll need to spend more time and effort to do so, and – even if they do – they are still very unlikely to be successful. The more time a criminal has to spend at a location while attempting a break-in, the greater the likelihood of being caught in the act.
For this reason, many criminals do not even consider locations that have security gates to be targets. It just isn’t worth the risk to them.
The Cost of Smash and Grab Robberies
Some business owners do not install security gates and other security solutions because they are concerned about the cost. However, in the vast majority of circumstances, the costs associated with a smash and grab robbery and much higher than the costs of securing a property in the first place.
This is because criminals cause significant damage when they break into a location. Not only do they damage the glass on doors and windows, but they also often cause serious damage to the window and door frames as well. Plus, they often destroy display cases and other merchandise during their crimes. Of course, the actual cost of the stolen merchandise needs to be taken into account as well.
However, there are also other potential costs. For example, if your property suffers significant damage, you may need to shut down for at least a short period of time in order to complete the necessary repairs. This results in lost sales.
In addition, you will need to spend time speaking with police officers, insurance agents and other authorities regarding the details of the crime. This means spending less time focusing on your business, which can hurt your profits.
By installing physical security gates before a crime occurs, you are securing your business and reducing the chances of a break-in.
Want some more helpful tips to improving the security of your business? Download our helpful guide to Improving Your Security Mindset.
