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.

The foundation of any security strategy is keeping high-value possessions under lock and key. In fact, locks and keys are believed to go back as far as the Romans, where valuables were kept in secure chests locked by a key worn as a ring. 

While the concept of a lock and a key is still around today, locks have become digital. 

The most secure locks are now electronic. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at exactly what keyless security is, how it works, and why it’s an important part of your company’s security strategy alongside a verified security alarm.

Are you tired of using conventional CCTV alarm systems that don’t protect your organization’s facility from vandalism, theft and other criminal activities? If so, it’s time that your business invests in a verified security solution.

Not only does your business have a duty to protect its employees from harmful activity, you also need to properly secure your facility, assets and products if you are to retain a healthy bottom line and drive profitable growth. 

So, with that in mind, this blog takes a look at what a verified security alarm solution is and why it’s so much more effective for the security of your organization than a traditional CCTV alarm system.

What is a verified alarm?

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.

When you think of panic buttons, you probably think that they’re a technology that’s more suited for banks and other businesses handling large amounts of money. 

But the truth is that panic buttons are an important addition to any business or organization. Even schools in the states are looking at the benefits of panic buttons to help keep students safe. 

Businesses in Vancouver’s downtown core, according to Global News, are raising the alarm on what they say is an increase in property crime, break-ins and vandalism targeting the city's region.  

With break-ins and vandalism on the rise, effective retail security is more important than it has ever been before for Vancouver-based businesses.

Is your Alberta-based pharmacy protected properly from theft? With crime rates on the up, pharmaceutical security should be a priority for your business. 

2021 has seen a huge spike in pharmacy theft in Edmonton when compared to the previous few years. According to CTV News Edmonton, Alberta's capital city has already seen 28 pharmacy robberies - either failed or successful - occur by May 2021 alone.

In a recent blog, we discussed how auto dealerships across Western Canada are particularly vulnerable to theft this year due to the rising value of catalytic converters. With that in mind, are you worried that your car dealership isn’t secure enough to avoid the damaging consequences of theft?

Preventing thefts in your retail store can be an entire job on its own, and with shoplifting on the rise securing your retail store is even more important. 

In 2019 there were 140,286 reported shoplifting incidents under $5,000 in Canada (this is compared to 99,907 in 2015).  And Western Canada accounted for more than 50 percent of these incidents. 

Employee theft is an unfortunate reality that business owners need to prepare for. You may be thinking, “my employees would never steal from me.” But internal theft is more widespread than you may think… and there are different ways your employees may be stealing from your company. 

Did you know that Vancouver construction sites are experiencing a rising number of thefts? In fact, the Vancouver Police have gone as far as actively encouraging construction companies to take extra precautions to prevent crime, following a spike in thefts on the city’s west side. 

Leasing a commercial property with multiple tenants can be a lucrative business but it can also make security more difficult. The sheer number of employees, vendors and customers coming in and out of the office can open you up to a greater risk of criminal activities, such as theft, assault and vandalism. 

Do you have a security solution in place that protects your rural farm in Western Canada from theft? This is more important than ever before - and, thankfully, now there’s better security technology than there has ever been before as well. 

Crime on rural farms has been hitting the news quite frequently in recent times. Take a look at this story in the Calgary Herald for example. An investigation into the theft of four calves from a southern Alberta property resulted in RCMP recovering four missing calves, as well as seizing a bag of crystal meth and an unauthorized weapon. 

“The four calves have been returned to their owner, however, the impacts from crime as a result of a theft of this nature are ongoing,” Sgt. Gary Maclaren of the crime reduction unit said in a news release Wednesday.

“The victim will continue to experience not only the stress resulting from being a victim of crime but also the added financial costs, which include the cost of purchasing milk replacer and having to bottle-feed the animals as a result of them being apart from their mother too long. Other impacts are long-term effects on the mothers of the calves as a result of their separation, which can reduce their value.”

With that in mind, what can rural farms across Western Canada do to better protect their assets? We will answer your questions here.

Last September $150,00 in cell phones were stolen from an Alberta warehouse. And just this year, an Amazon warehouse in BC had hundreds of thousands of products stolen from their property. Even more recently, $70,00 worth of appliances were recovered from a warehouse theft in Abbotsford, Alberta. 

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!

Whether you run a small, medium or large-sized business in Western Canada with a physical office space, your organization is vulnerable to a variety of threats such as break-and-enters or vandalism.

Offices contain a wide range of valuable items, such as computers, cash and legal documents, making them a top target for criminals who are looking for an opportunity to make a quick buck. 

That’s why office security is so essential. 

Keeping your physical workplace secure, however, can be a daunting task. That’s why here at Sonitrol Western Canada we have compiled this list of the eight top tips that will improve your office security. We hope it helps!

It’s not uncommon to hear about thieves creeping into parking lots at night and stealing tires, batteries and tailgates. But the newest trend among thieves is catalytic converters. 

Why?

Because those catalytic converters contain precious metals that are rising in value. 

Did you know that nearly all teachers (95 percent) are now using technology in the classroom in some shape or form?

Technology in the classroom comes with some incredible benefits, such as personalized teaching, improved teacher efficiencies, and further equipping students with the digital skills they need for 21st Century careers. 

Calgary has been experiencing a surge in pharmacy theft with 42 pharmacies targeted since September 2020. It may seem like a small number but compared to the single pharmacy robbery in 2019, this is a huge increase. 

Staff have been held up at gunpoint as well as tied up and locked in bathrooms in more recent cases.

And with ongoing debates over COVID and vaccines, many pharmacies owners and managers are concerned about the safety of their staff and customers. To help make sure that your pharmacy is safe during the pandemic and as vaccines roll out, consider these 4 steps.