Preventing Crime At Your Business

Although a lot of new entrepreneurs manage to overlook it, security is one of the big concerns that all business owners need to think about. Paying due diligence to your security will protect the business’s livelihood, as well as the safety of all your staff. Although you’re probably strained for time as it is, here are a few essential steps for protecting your company from crime.

Go with the Holistic Approach

Shoplifting is a major issue for many retail businesses, and the options for keeping the place secure are endless. While CCTV and product tags can be a big help, one of the most effective ways to stop people from stealing from your business is simply letting them know that you’re there, and keeping an eye on them. The best way to do this is upping standards of customer service. Have all your shop staff acknowledge everyone who comes through the door, and hang around customers offering them any kind of help and information they need. You’ll not only scare away thieves, but look better in the eyes of your honest customers as well.

Sweat the Small Stuff

There are countless ways that business owners decide to protect their livelihood, and getting equipped with all the latest security gear can certainly reduce the risk of any major breach. Having said that, if you were to ask a range of security companies, they’ll tell you that one of the most important things you can do is sweat the small stuff. Dependable security gates and strong locks on all your premises’ points of entry may sound basic, but there’s a reason for this: these things work! Make sure you’re only issuing keys to the premises to the people who really need them, and that alarm keys are clearly marked to keep them extra-secure. You should also have a logging system if you ever need to loan keys out. Finally, maintain go-to numbers for reporting any kind of emergencies or suspicious activity, and have them posted all over your business premises. This ensures that if and when there is some kind of breach, you’ll be able to react to it as quickly as possible.

Carry Out a Thorough Inventory and Audit

Inventories and audits are two more simple ways you can prevent any kind of crime at your business. Maintain up-to-date employee records, including staff pictures, and keep them somewhere you can access them whenever the need arises. Make sure that any valuable equipment is accurately cataloged using serial numbers, and that it’s all included in regular inventory checks. Occasionally, you should also make sure that employees aren’t leaving any keys in doors or cabinets, or leaving their passwords written down anywhere. Every once in a while, you should also make sure that your alarm system and cameras are in good working order. Burglar alarms that don’t trigger are useless, and blurry images of an intruder aren’t going to be much help to the police.

There you have three essential steps to protecting your company from the risk of crime.