Crime is a reality of our world. In some areas, it is decreasing while in others it is increasing. Unfortunately, there are aspects of our society more vulnerable to robberies, theft and burglaries than others. Retail businesses are targets of many crimes for a multitude of reasons, including the storage and collection of cash on their premises.
How do you mitigate and reduce the incidence of crime in your business? What can be done to better secure and protect your property and assets? Those are important questions and they’re necessary to assess your security. Improving security at your business should be your highest priority. What are the best strategies? Business owners like yourself have shared their tips, tricks, and experiences on peer review websites such as Reviews Bird on which are the best security companies, types of CCTV systems to buy, and other methods on increasing your protection. Reading ways to improve property security will help you keep your business safe and profitable.
Robbers target retail businesses and outlets because they use cash registers; the business sells products that can be quickly sold for cash on the street; the business is open during the night; the business has few employees or staff on duty.
The most common type of retails businesses targeted are:
- Convenience stores
- Supermarkets
- Service stations
- Jewelry stores
- Pawn stores
- Liquor stores
- Clothing stores
These types of retail businesses are cash-intensive meaning that customers usually pay for products with cash and the cash registers are usually stocked with money. These types of businesses also rarely bank their money daily and this means they usually have a safe on the premises into which they lock and protect their cash until they can deposit those funds into their bank or use it to buy new stock. Smaller retail businesses also usually have one or two employees on duty and it is convenience stores and service stations that are targeted most at night when there is usually one employee on duty at a time. Robbers are more likely to attack at those hours when there are fewer potential witnesses and bystanders at the business and when there will be more chance for them to successfully rob the store of their cash or products and flee the crime scene successfully.
Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to stop crime. However, you can do all possible to prevent and reduce your risk of robbery with a few key security measures to your retail business’ premises and site.
- Ensure your windows and counters are clutter-free so that your store is in full view of pedestrians and passers-by. The more visibility you have in the store, the more likely that will serve as a deterrent to opportunistic robbers. If you have a security system with CCTV and surveillance cameras, make sure that nothing blocks their views.
- Installing alarms and silent alarms will help you notify people nearby, your security company and law enforcement departments of a robbery in progress. An alarm is one of the most effective ways to deter a robber and to ward off any violent attacks.