Police across Western Canada are facing an increasing number of catalytic converter thefts and are looking for solutions to put a stop to this crime. 

Business crime is any illegal activity that uses a business’s infrastructure to perpetrate a criminal act. It can range from theft and break-ins to money laundering, embezzlement and fraud.

The catalytic converter is a car part that changes dangerous emissions into safe gasses to improve safety and reduce air pollution. It contains precious metals, such as platinum, palladium and rhodium, meaning the parts can be sold for a high price on the illegal market - which means dealerships must have robust security in place or be at risk of theft. 

While exterior security solutions can help prevent intruders from entering your facility, securing the inside of your business is just as important. It’s a critical part of keeping your operations running smoothly and ensuring the safety of your personnel and property.

Winter is coming in Western Canada and with it are additional security concerns related to less daylight hours, snow banks that can provide perfect hiding places for criminals and snowy weather that reduces the number of bystanders and can help conceal criminal activity.

Security systems are vital for any business from retail to property management to construction and more. When choosing a system, there are many factors to consider. One important factor is whether that system will be wired or wireless.

Holiday security should be one of your top concerns if you own a business. The holidays are a time when more people are out and about. The increased foot traffic and added distractions that come with the festive season can mean an increase in retail crime.

According to the National Fire Protection Association of Canada nearly 115,000 of the 500,000 fires between 2015 and 2019 occurred in non-residential buildings. 

There are many steps you can take to prevent fire, such as installing a robust verified fire alarm, but first it’s important to know why the fires start. To help you keep your business or organization safe from fire, let’s look at the five most common causes of workplace fire.

Every year, close to 100,000 new businesses open in Canada each year. Many of these business owners are new to entrepreneurship, which means there’s a lot to think about and learn. One area that is often forgotten or set aside as a concern for a later date is security.

If you’re a business owner in Lethbridge, Alberta, it may be time to take a hard look at your security strategy.

If you own a car rental or automotive dealership, are you doing enough to ensure that your business (and its assets) are properly secured from crimes such as theft and vandalism? 

Stats Canada recently released their Crime Severity Index (CSI) report for 2021, which has shown that businesses in Western Canada need to do more to improve their security measures.  

When looking for a security system for your small business there are many to choose from. 

While you may be drawn towards a traditional CCTV surveillance system, this is not the right choice. To ensure your business is safe you should be looking at verified security options. 

This is the best option for any small business. Here’s why …

Most cities and towns, even smaller ones, have at least one Business Improvement Association (BIA). A BIA is a group of commercial property owners and renters who partner with their local municipality to help create a thriving and safe business area for customers and business people.

Cleaning up graffiti, repairing damaged property, replacing assets and inventory… when a criminal targets your business it can add up quickly. But that isn’t the only cost of crime. 

When there’s repeated criminal activity in your local community, it can have an indirect effect on your business. In this blog, we take a look at some of the indirect costs of crime on your business in Western Canada and why that means you need to invest in a robust security solution.

In 2019, the western provinces had over 47,000 cars stolen, with the majority of thefts occurring in BC and Alberta.

British Columbia: 13,352

Alberta: 23,535

Saskatchewan: 5,284

Manitoba: 5,546

While Manitoba and Saskatchewan seem much lower in comparison to the other provinces, their low populations put them in second and third place for thefts per 10,000 people.

Door-to-door scams can feel like something of the past, especially now that so much business is being done electronically. In recent years, many scammers have transitioned to the faceless route of scamming people over phone, via email or through other online channels.

Fire safety should be a top priority for any business. From a financial perspective, a fire can be costly. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fire and explosions result in more than $2.3 billion in damage every year.

Vancouver police have released some discomforting details about the number of thefts in the downtown core of Vancouver, highlighting just how important effective security solutions are for businesses in the city.

Following a month-long anti-shoplifting campaign that focused on Vancouver’s downtown core, police arrested almost 200 offenders and recovered more than $75,000 in stolen property.

One of the key factors in selecting a commercial security system and partner company is how integrated the solution is across a business's many security needs. Another factor is affordability.

That’s where Sonitrol’s TotalGuard™ comes to the forefront. 

Sonitrol’s TotalGuard™ solution was designed specifically for the small to medium business market and offers affordable and professional security. Previously, many small business owners pieced together their own security system from off-the-shelf technology because it was cheap and ready to go. But those systems aren’t integrated, or verified, or monitored by professionals. The result was security protection in name only. TotalGuard™ is an all-in-one, edge-based device that acts as a standalone IoT panel. Each TotalGuard™ device includes Sonitrol impact activated audio detection, glass break analytics, video verification and surveillance, motion and wireless connectivity, all professionally monitored by a Sonitrol Central Station.

In addition to its many powerful features, the solution was needed for the ability to easily connect with other alarm points as each business has different security needs. Here’s a CCTV video clip of an actual TotalGuard™ apprehension!