The Business Crime Unit have put together the below guidance for temporarily closed premises to help prevent your business being targeted by opportunistic thieves.
1. Property maintenance:
Check your premises regularly, at least twice a week, to see if there are any obvious signs of an attempted break-in or damage. It is also important to well maintain your premises to prevent crime or further issues.
-Remove litter and graffiti
-Cut back landscaping to assist with surveillance from passers-by and your CCTV system
-Remove mail from letter boxes
-Store flammable and combustible materials in a secure, lockable container, cage or room
-Bins should be securely stored away from the building to prevent arson
-Skips and whee lie bins should be stored away to prevent them from being used by offenders to gain access
2. Monitored intruder alarm system:
A monitored intruder alarm system is a deterrent as it increases the likelihood of being caught.
-Make sure it is regularly maintained, in good working order and is remotely monitored
-Clean any external alarm boxes and maintain flashing LEDs
-Ensure that staff are familiar with opening and closing procedures to prevent false alarm activations
-Update your key holder list and share it where necessary with your intruder alarm company
3. Security fogging system:
A security fogging system is triggered by an alarm sensor and will instantly fill the area you are trying to protect with a dense, harmless fog that reduces visibility, making it virtually impossible for an intruder to access the items they want to steal. If you already have such a system, check with your supplier that it is still in good working order.
4. CCTV:
If you have CCTV, make sure it is regularly maintained, in good working order with sufficient storage capacity and as a minimum, is providing coverage of the most vulnerable areas.
5. Doors and windows:
Doors and easily accessible windows should be in good working order, free from rot or damage and have good quality locks that have a Kitemark showing that they meet the relevant British Standard. Windows and doors should have multi-point locking mechanisms.
6. Roller shutters and grilles:
Roller shutters and grilles can provide additional protection to external doors and windows. If you have them installed and are away from the premises for some time, consider storing some thing inside behind the shutters to make access even more difficult.
7. Lighting:
Motion detection lighting is one of the mos t important security elements. Offenders are less likely to hang around when a light suddenly exposes them.
8. Safe storage of valuables, assets and stock:
Valuables, assets and stock should be either removed from the premises or stored in a secure, lockable container, cage or room and the keys stored in a secure key cabinet or removed entirely from the premises. It is advisable to check the continued performance of essential equipment and services, such as fridge freezers, electrical and water supplies, including central heating pipework. All trace of computers and expensive equipment
should be removed from external sight.
9. Gaming and vending machines:
Gaming and vending machines should be emptied of all stock and cash and where possible removed from external sight. It is advisable to display a sign on a outside wall to state that machines are empty of stock or cash. There have unfortunately been commercial burglaries for cigarettes and game machine cash.
10. Clean and repair!
There is a saying in crime prevention called the ‘Smashed Glass Effect’! If the outside looks scruffy, then the chances are the inside is disorganised and an offenders paradise.
-Clean your doors and windows, replace broken ones
-Replace broken fences
-Clean or replace broken signs
-A lick of paint can be a wonderful cheap deterrent
Get in touch with the Business Crime Unit at business.crime.unit@essex.police.uk for further guidance.