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.
According to Vancouver Police statistics, there were 329 break and enters reported in the downtown core in the first five months of the year. That’s actually down from the 486 reported in the first five months of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic first unfolded, but still up 19 per cent from the first five months of 2019.
Global News spoke to the owner, Lisa Rofasco, of Lure Salon on Howe Street, which has had to board its windows after someone attempted to break in - shattering multiple panes of glass. The cost to replace the glass is in the ballpark of $10,000, and while the salon has insurance it will still have to eat the deductible.
On top of that, she’s looking at a five-week wait to have the work done, as glass installers have told her they’re overwhelmed with similar work elsewhere.
“Coming back from the pandemic it’s a big expense,” she said.
Sp, what can retailers in Vancouver do to help limit their risk to damaging property crime, break-ins and vandalism? While retail security solutions can’t 100 percent guarantee you won’t be affected, they can significantly reduce the chance.
And even if you are affected, you might as well make sure the culprit is caught, right? Your best bet of stopping criminal activity at your retail store and catching criminals red-handed is to invest in a verified security solution.
What is a retail verified security solution?
Sonitrol Western Canada has created an innovative verified alarm system that uses state-of-the-art technology to detect criminal threats both in and outside of your retail premises.
Unlike CCTV which only serves to record a crime as it happens without alerting the authorities, Sonitrol verified security alarms send live video and audio to a security expert located in a 24/7 central monitoring station. This person is then able to verify whether the threat is real, or a false alarm.
Once verified, the security expert immediately alerts the local police department, who are provided with real-time information on where the criminal is at your facility and what they are currently doing.
This verification step is why police trust Sonitrol verified alarms. Even though the average security system has a false alarm rate of 98 percent, we completely cut out false alarms. That’s why police dispatch on average in just 3-4 minutes for verified alarms, unlike the average dispatch time of 45 minutes for traditional CCTV alarms.
Get a free verified security plan for your retail store
We care about the security and protection of your retail store. That’s why the Sonitrol Western Canada team of security experts will visit your retail store and give you a free security audit based on your premises' specific requirements.
We will review your business and give you advice on how to protect your assets and employees. In addition, we will also provide you with a free security plan to protect your premises in the future, at no charge and no obligation.
We would love to help make sure your Vancouver-based retail store is completely protected from the damaging impacts of crime.
