It seems like we’re hearing about a new crime at a Canadian business every day. The good news is, there are steps you can take to help protect your staff, customers, and property. An effective security solution is more important now than it has ever been before. 

To get you started, here are three areas you can focus on. We hope it helps - these tips can apply to any business, from construction sites and warehouses to banks, retail stores or places of worship.

The first step is making your business hard to get into. This will make it unattractive to most criminals and stop them from even trying to gain entry. 

Start by making sure your doors and windows are in good shape and have high-quality locks. Install lighting all around your building and make sure they aren’t easy to tamper with. You may also want to consider adding a fence and no trespassing signs – while signage may not keep criminals out, it will give authorities reasonable means for apprehending trespassers. 

If you have plants and trees around your building, make sure you keep them trimmed so that they can’t be used for hiding or gaining entry through windows on higher floors or the roof. 

If there are hidden areas around your building, consider adding security cameras – these are the most vulnerable areas of your property as criminals won’t have to worry about passersby. 

There are many steps you can take to protect your business from the inside. The first is making sure you hire the right people. Make sure that you vet your employees very carefully and consider background checks for extra security. 

You also want to restrict access to valuable assets. This could include high-value inventory, important company information, security systems, servers and more. One of the best ways to protect these assets is using access control cards or keyless entry. This will allow you to choose who can enter important areas of your business and give you oversight over who was where and when. They’re also much easier to deactivate and replace if lost or stolen. 

If you keep cash on-site, make sure it is kept to a minimum and bank deposits daily. But don’t always do them at the same time of day … This will make it harder for criminals to spot patterns. 

You also want to install a verified security system that is monitored by security professionals. 

While standard CCTV cameras will record a crime, this doesn’t ensure the criminal will be caught. Verified security is reviewed in real-time – if a crime is happening, the police will be dispatched to arrest the criminal. 

Because it is verified, you can trust that the response will be quick. In fact, authorities respond to Sonitrol verified alarms in just 3.5 minutes thanks to our low false alarm rates. 

To help keep your staff, customers and property safe, be sure to implement security policies and procedures. This includes training employees on what to do in an emergency and ensuring safety procedures are followed by all employees. 

You also want to develop a zero-tolerance policy for abuse, whether physical or verbal. Train your staff to see warning signs and diffuse situations, post your policy where staff and visitors can see it and have steps in place to deal with any problems that do arise. 

For more security solutions specific to your business, call and schedule a free security audit today.