If you own or manage a business shop, chances are you’ve already experienced a burglary or attempted theft at some point. Burglars typically lurk at night looking for dark and vacant shops to steal from. As a business owner, it’s only natural for you to ensure the safety of your shop. This article will enlighten you about the latest trends in securing and keeping your business safe from criminal uncertainties.
Shop Safety Basics
When managing a retail shop, there are several things that you need to put to safety. Apart from securing sales and generating income, you’ll also have to secure the personal information of your customers. The truth is, as technology makes developments, so do burglars. Nowadays, they don’t just steal money from your cash registrar. They also steal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and many more.
You probably think that burglars can’t get such massive data from your store. But that’s where you’re wrong. If you have customer files or daily reports of your store’s income, it will most likely include the payment information, including the customer’s card details. Here are some tips to keep your store secured:
- Make sure to use the right locks
- Secure all interior and exterior doors
- Re-key the locks regularly
- Get a safe box.
- Install a security system
- Install CCTV
- Consider installing an access control system
Using the Right Locks
All business owners are aware of the importance of store locks. But not everyone knows how to choose the right ones for their businesses. One of the things that you need to remember is that you can only claim your insurance money if there is solid proof of forced entry. So in choosing a lock system, pick a lock system that will give the burglar a hard time.
You can ask a few trusted business owners or their most recommended lock systems. After doing so, check out some lock options from reliable websites such as bannersolutions.com. In general, locksmiths suggest using double cylinder locks along with pin tumbler cylinder locks with deadbolts.
Secure All Doors
Business owners should secure the locks of all doors inside and outside their facility. One mistake that you should avoid is putting all the security locks in your main door. Burglars typically prefer to use employee doors at the back. So don’t forget to put a security lock in the main entrance, rear door, as well as garage and service doors.
Re-key the Locks
If you have employees, they must also have their duplicate keys to access the store. But there’s a high possibility that one or two of your employees might misplace their keys. Lost keys put the security of your store at risk. To prevent this, ask your employees to report if they lost their keys and re-key the system immediately.
Buy a Safe Box
Burglars are clever in their own ways. They can get inside your facility despite your best efforts to secure your store. But the bottom line is to prevent them from stealing anything valuable. Investing in a high-security safe is beneficial to all kinds of businesses. You can store different things in it, including cash, checkbooks, and gadgets.
Install a Security System
In addition to high-quality locks, stores must also have a security system. Security systems work by activating themselves upon store closing. They can detect forced entries and automatically send alerts to the authority. Most security systems are equipped with security cameras, helping you and the police apprehend the person at fault.
More Security Cameras
It’s good if your security system comes with cameras. But you can add more CCTV’s in different areas of the store as well. Video surveillance helps you identify the culprits who keep on vandalizing your establishment. It’s also a helpful tool in recording the activities of shoplifters and trespassers.
Access Control System
Access control systems enable you to see who gets in and out of doors. It can be useful if you want to know if any of your employees are not trustworthy. Each of your employees will have a unique code to access important rooms like storage and warehouse. The system will record their activity while they are inside the room and the date and time. So if some items are missing, you can identify who’s stealing from you.
Apart from these mentioned techniques, there are many other ways to secure your store. For example, you can also include light sensors in your doors. This way, the cameras will be able to capture a clear image of the burglar. Lastly, always make sure that your business has insurance. So when things like this happen, you will not have a hard time recovering what you lost.