One of the most effective ways to attract more guests to your restaurant, build customer loyalty and increase profitability is to build a world-class patio experience for your restaurant. 

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.

Cities across Canada are trying to find ways to help businesses and residents feel safer, and improve their security measures. One program that is becoming increasingly common in the fight against crime is security camera registries.

In British Columbia, police reported a 60 percent increase in hate crimes between 2019 and 2020. And just this month in Regina, racist graffiti was sprayed on a local business. 

Then there’s the continuous stream of news articles about places of worship – churches being damaged in Victoria, Edmonton mosques being vandalized, racist graffiti on a Sikh temple in Calgary, anti-Semitic graffiti on Victoria’s Jewish Life and Learning Centre. 

In November, a Burnaby restaurant had a significant amount of money stolen during an overnight break and enter. The criminal was caught on tape, but no apprehension has been reported to date. A week after the break in, the Burnaby RCMP were asking the public for help identifying the suspect. 

With crime on the rise in both British Columbia and Alberta, you’re probably wondering how you can better secure and protect your Western Canada-based business? 

Whether you are opening a brand-new business, moving locations or simply looking to enhance your existing security alarms, protecting your business is vital. There’s no doubt about it, falling victim to a crime can be completely crippling for some businesses.

Implementing the right security system can significantly lower the risk of your business being impacted by crime. Yet so many organizations simply don’t know what to look for when choosing a commercial alarm and security company.

In this blog, we take a look at the top 10 myths about commercial security alarms, so you know exactly what to look out for when making your decision.

During a two-week period in August this year, six Edmonton, Alberta pharmacies had Percocet, codeine and cotridin cough medications stolen from them. Pharmacists believe it was because prescription cough syrups like cotridin are difficult to obtain.  

This wasn’t just a one-off incident - pharmacy robberies are on the rise in Alberta. In 2019 there were eight robberies. This jumped to 18 in 2020 and in 2021 there have already been 39. This puts staff and customers at great risk, especially with criminals going behind the counter and demanding pharmacists open the safe.  

Pharmacy theft is also present in other western provinces in Canada. Just last month, armed robbers stole cash and pills from a pharmacy in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

In November of 2020 new provisions were added to the Protecting Alberta Industry from Theft Act to help make it more difficult for criminals to sell stolen scrap metal. These provisions included:  

Installing a state-of-the-art verified security surveillance system is an important part of feeling confident that your customers, employees, and business are all protected from the threat of crime. 

But it’s also important for you to be able to access this system for your own peace of mind and to keep an eye on the day-to-day operations of your business, even when you can’t be physically on-site. 

At Sonitrol Western Canada we understand that this is important to business owners, which is why Sonitrol has created MySonitrol.

Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in Alberta, according to a new article from Global News, with complaints from consumers skyrocketing. The news is a strong signal to dealerships across Western Canada that they need to enhance their security measures.

Calgary Police (CPS) said catalytic converter thefts are a “quick crime,” taking less than a minute to pull off.

CPS added there has also been a dramatic increase over the past few years, with more than 1,000 thefts reported between January and August 2021, compared to 300 thefts reported last year.

The increase has been attributed to the rising price of the precious metals used in catalytic converters, which is increasing the demand for them. 

Police said there are only certain types of vehicles being targeted, usually high enough to crawl under and the catalytic converter is positioned lower down from the engine allowing for easy access.

While it’s primarily consumers who are being targeted by opportunistic thieves as they walk past a vehicle in the street, dealerships across Western Canada have certainly been victims of catalytic converter theft as well - and it can have a huge impact on their bottom line. 

With that in mind, we’ve created a quick list of tips that will help dealerships improve their security solution and avoid costly thefts.

In September, Marquis Wine Cellar in Vancouver had thieves use blow torches to break in and steal an e-bike. And that is just one of many stories being shared by Vancouver business owners. 

Business owners are seeing more crime, vandalism and break and enters. In fact, the West End Community police say that from April to September of 2021 there has been a 50% increase in crimes. From 2020 to 2021 there is expected to be a 43% increase in violent shoplifting.

It’s not uncommon to find charity boxes and collections at businesses throughout the year but as we move into the holiday season, they will be more and more common. This may include food and toy drives, collection kettles, countertop boxes and more. 

Generally, we trust the goodness of others to keep these charity boxes safe – after all who would steal from charity? But as a recent case in Kelowna, BC shows, not even charitable contributions are safe from criminals. 

According to the Retail Council of Canada, “Canadian retailers lose over $3 billion annually to crime.” 

To help prevent these losses, retailers often use security signs inside their stores to prevent thieves from robbing them. This includes signs about electronic theft protection devices, surveillance, etc. But do these signs really work to enhance retail security? 

According to the Canadian Jewellers Association, jewellery thieves are now steering clear of safecracking because of how difficult these operations are. Instead, thieves target the jewellery that has been left out in displays overnight, even the lower-end product. 

There are two common approaches to these kinds of theft. The first is to smash through the windows and doors, without worrying about setting off alarms. The thieves will then grab as much as they can before police are dispatched. The second method is to sneak into the property without triggering the alarm by disabling the system, or by entering through a blind spot in the security system.

Are you looking to enhance the security of your organization? If so, you probably have one question - “Should I invest in CCTV alarms or a Verified Security Solution?”

In this blog, we take a look at what both verified security solutions and CCTV alarms are, what the challenges of traditional CCTV security is and how you can greatly benefit from a verified security solution.

We hope this blog helps you make your decision!

Choosing the right security solution for your physical space is an important decision for businesses of all shapes and sizes across Western Canada. 

With the range of cameras and other equipment that are now available, and the varying benefits that come with each solution, making the right security choice is now more important than ever before.

To get the best solution for your company’s unique requirements, you not only need innovative technology, but you also need to work with a brand that you trust. 

Here at Sonitrol Western Canada, we’re so confident in our groundbreaking verified security solutions, technology and responsiveness service, that no other brands in the commercial alarm industry can match our guarantees. 

In this blog, we’re going to take a quick look at what makes our security technology so unique (and effective), as well as exploring our world-class service guarantees that ensure true peace of mind for your business.

Medical supply theft is a reality whether thieves are looking to pocket masks, gloves and sanitizer or are stealing medical equipment. That’s why a proper security solution is crucial to protecting your medical equipment and supplies.

In fact, during COVID, hospitals across the country were forced to lock up personal protective equipment and sanitation products to prevent theft and ensure their staff had the supplies when they needed them. Even large city hospitals have seen thieves force their way onto the property and take equipment valued at $1.2 million. 

And medical supply theft doesn’t just affect the hospital’s bottom line. It affects staff safety and patient health. Thieves have also targeted medical clinics, family doctors and specialist offices.

Luckily, there are ways that medical businesses and hospitals can protect their organizations from medical supply theft.

Despite a focused effort by local law enforcement to reduce thefts, Vancouver continues to have the highest rate of bicycle theft per capita out of any major city in Canada, according to data compiled by CBC News.

It shows just how important effective security solutions are for Vancouver-based bicycle retailers.

There are ongoing reports of crime being down in Canada this past year. While that may be true on average for the country and provinces, some areas are seeing increases. 

One example is Vancouver, which saw a 260% increase in shoplifting involving a weapon in 2020 compared to 2019. And as restrictions are further reduced and more customers are allowed to be in stores at a time, it may become more difficult to monitor and reduce shoplifting, even in areas where there have been strong declines. 

So what can you do as a business owner to enhance retail security and better protect your staff and customers? Here are four tips for detecting and deterring shoplifters.

When it comes to security, property managers are in a unique position. They’re not only responsible for protecting their property and staff, but also that of the businesses that rent from them and the customers who frequent those businesses. 

That can make security solutions difficult, especially in multi-unit offices. Luckily there are steps that you can take to protect your assets, tenants and their customers. 

Sonitrol Western Canada has listed four tips for property managers to enhance the security of their premises.