Commercial security checklist as dark nights increase potential for crime

The end of British Summer time signals shorter days and an increased potential for crime as criminals benefit more from the cover of darkness to hide activity and disguise their identity. We’ve prepared a checklist of the top five tips businesses should address to ensure their commercial security system is operating effectively:

1. Ensure all intruder alarm, access control and CCTV systems have been routinely maintained and that they are operating without faults
2. Check all CCTV cameras to ensure imagery is clear and not obstructed by dirt or objects
3. Remind staff of the importance of building access control to ensure unauthorised people are not to enter. This includes not sharing passcodes and passes and ensuring doors and windows are securely closed.
4. Ensure the process for reporting suspicious activity is well communicated
5. Conduct a security risk assessment if one has not been done recently

There are plenty of news headlines with dramatic statistics that prove there is a spike in crime during the winter months and Christmas is a particularly lucrative time as businesses begin to hold extra stock and supplies to meet demand.

Analysis of Home Office crime statistics for both domestic and commercial premises shows that each day of the 2017 Christmas holidays crooks committed an average of 448 burglaries, 65 robberies and 1,082 thefts. The total number of thefts over the 2017 festive period recorded in England and Wales climbed from 5,524 in the financial year 2015 to 2016 to 6,278 in 2016/17.

Robberies increased by 20 per cent from 770 in 2015/16 to 918 in 2016/17, Meanwhile thefts were up 22 per cent to more than 15,000 over last year’s holiday compared to 12,398 the previous year.

In order to protect your business from intruders, conducting a security risk assessment should be the very first task carried out to begin to determine the level of systems or protection you may need.

We hope that the tips above help to ensure your business does not become a victim of crime. We will happily visit your site to conduct a free security review. We can also advise you what to look for if you are considering investing in a CCTV system for your commercial building and help you understand what you need to know before installing an access control system.

Please get in touch if we can help protect your people, property and processes.