Crime can cost businesses billions of dollars each year. It has a particularly damaging effect on small businesses that can lose both customers and employees after a wave of crime. This effect isolates them and increases their vulnerability to crime. There are ways that businesses can fight back and prevent crimes from occurring.

  • Provide training for all employees- including cleaning staff- so they are familiar with security procedures and know your expectations.
  • Keep detailed, up-to-date records. Store back-up copies off the premises. If you are ever victimized, you can access losses more easily and provide useful information for law enforcement investigations.
  • Mark all equipment, including computers and cash registers, with an identification number (tax ID or license). Keep a record of all identification numbers off the premises with other important records.
  • Realize that if you have business products, inventory, equipment, or money, you have what someone else wants and you need to protect your assets.
  • Have eyes and ears when you’re not there. Depending on your business, something as simple as a closed-circuit television system may serve both as a deterrent and as a way of recording information.
  • Use an employee identification system, if practical. If you have many employees this gives you additional control.
  • Make sure that all outside entrances and inside security doors have deadbolt locks. If you use padlocks, they should be made of steel and kept locked at all times. Remember to remove serial numbers from your locks, to prevent unauthorized keys from being made.
  • Windows should have secure locks and burglar-resistant glass. Consider installing metal grates on all your windows except the display window. Remove all expensive items from your window displays at night and make sure you can see easily into your business after closing. Move valuable merchandise away from the door and windows to prevent “smash and grab” thefts.
  • Check the parking lot for good lighting and unobstructed views.
  • Light the inside and outside of your business, especially around doors, windows, skylights, or other entry points. Consider installing covers over exterior lights and power sources to deter tampering.
  • Install locking gates, and eliminate possible hiding places, such as trees, shrubbery, stairwells, and alleys.
  • Make sure that your entire sales floor can be easily viewed. Eliminate any blind spots that may hide a robbery in progress. Keep displays neat, and place small and valuable objects in cabinets. Ensure that your staff is familiar with all of the merchandise in the store.
  • Do not tag your keys with the name of your business. Change locks if the keys are lost or not returned by a former employee.
  • Install an enunciator on entrances to alert you that someone has entered your store or office.
  • Make bank deposits often and during business hours. Do not establish a regular pattern. Take different routes at different times during the day.
  • Think before talking about the details of your job or working on sensitive projects in public places such as restaurants, airplanes, classrooms, and gyms.
  • Think about what is on a piece of paper before you toss it into the trash. If it is sensitive information, tear it up or use a shredder.
  • Challenge any strangers who enter your work area. Ask for identification. Call a supervisor or security for help.
  • Organize a business watch, patterned after the Neighborhood Watch concept. Get to know the people who operate the businesses in your area. Watch for suspicious activity and report it to the police immediately. Advertise that you are a member.
  • After hours, do not work late alone. Create a buddy system for walking to parking lots or public transportation or ask security to escort you.
  • If a thief confronts you or your employees, cooperate. Merchandise and cash can always be replaced- people can’t!