Bettering your business through security technology

If you’re looking to safeguard your business from potential threats such as burglaries and vandalism, there are plenty of options. As well as demonstrating compliance through duty of care and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), not to mention taking necessary steps to protect your brand’s reputation, you should be looking to make security a top priority in your business. With regard to security, ensure you have the following in place around your premises as a minimum:

The use of CCTV on your business premises

Often, CCTV around a business premises can be overlooked — however, it should be one of your main priorities. An infographic by Ironmongery Direct states, research from the University of Leicester revealed that recorded offences in burglary and vehicle crime areas reduced when such technology was in use around Newcastle and King’s Lynn. The College of Policing’s Crime Reduction Toolkit has also found that for every 100 crimes, an average of 16 crimes managed to be prevented due to the use of CCTV.

But why does CCTV have this much impact on deterring crime? For one, CCTV systems can be used by police as an electronic witness to assist when proving that someone is guilty or at least abetted a crime at a business. Criminals will also be put off committing crime at a building if they believe there is a good chance that they will be watched.

It’s important to know the best areas to place CCTV around a business, 2020 Vision which supplies access control systems, encourages employers to place cameras in different entry/exit points of the building in order to capture high-quality footage of people walking in and out. For this, the camera should be able to clearly pick up an individual’s face, unique characteristics of clothing and any items they might be carrying.

Preventing crime through design

Reducing crime can be done by the type of environmental design and this is known as CPTED (Crime Prevention through Environmental Design).

This can be implemented in two different ways – single and multiple components. For single components, consider looking into cash-handling procedures so that significant amounts of money can be safely and securely delivered from one secure location to another. One way is by hiring guards when buildings are sitting empty and setting up security hardware systems — CCTV is covered in this again, though this also includes alarms. Multiple components include ensuring good visibility is maintained around a business’ premises, only keeping a minimum amount of money in registers on-site at one time, and limiting entry and escape from buildings such as through access control systems.

It’s said that both procedures have shown a drop in commercial robberies at retailing businesses.

Detecting crime in the local community

A common way to protect homes is through neighbourhood watch schemes — however, this type of scheme can help protect your business from potential crime. In fact, the College of Policing’s Crime Reduction Toolkit has found in an analysis of 18 studies that an average of 26 crimes out of every 100 is prevented due to neighbourhood watch schemes.

Neighbourhood watch schemes get local communities involved in activities that can help with local safety and detect crime that occurs in the area. Here are some steps to consider when working on an initiative involving your business and nearby organisations:

Encourage workers, both at your business and neighbouring companies, to look out for and report any suspicious activity around your premises.
Enhance community cohesion and increase the effectiveness of informal social control — break down the walls between your employees and colleagues at nearby organisations by arranging regular social gatherings and events which involves all businesses.
Facilitate detection of crime with an increased flow of intelligence between workers and the police.

The benefits of street lighting

Is your business situated in an area surrounded by trees that leaves it in complete darkness? If so, it is encouraged that you enhance the space with improved street lighting. By increasing visibility around the external areas of your premises, you can prevent crime and make people walking past your workplace easier to identify.

In a review of 13 studies, both violent and property crime dropped by an average of 21% in areas with improved street lighting compared to areas without.