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.

While the safest solution is to ensure all your products are locked up at night, this is not always practical and is incredibly time-consuming. Not to mention, moving jewellery around too often increases the risk of damaging or scratching it and some retailers are not equipped with a safe large enough for all of their products. 

So, how do jewellery retailers implement an effective security solution to protect their assets?

To help protect your valuable goods, Sonitrol Western Canada has listed a few tips and best practices:

1. Lock up as much of your jewellery as you can. If you need to, buy a second less expensive safe for lower end merchandise. 
2. Do not cover cases with a cloth or other materials as this will give criminals the impression that there is jewellery in your store, even if the displays are empty. 
3. Install metal gates that can be rolled out each night to help secure windows and doors. 
4. Use break resistant glass on your doors and windows, as well as your displays. This will take more time to break into, which will deter criminals from continuing their break. Post signs saying you use break resistant glass to deter criminals from breaking in in the first place. 
5. If you must leave jewellery out, make sure it does not violate your insurance agreement.
6. If you are in a mall, make sure that security passes by regularly and heads to your unit first if there is a break in. Jewellery stores are often the target of mall thieves. 
7. If your jewellery store is located along a street, install balusters to stop criminals from driving into your store to gain entrance. 
8. Review surveillance footage regularly to watch for suspicious activity you may have missed throughout the day. 

Most importantly, however, is to install a verified surveillance system

A verified security solution will minimize the rate of false alarms and if there is a crime happening, security experts monitoring your alarm system can contact the authorities and give them a play by play of what is happening to increase the rate of apprehension. 

At Sonitrol Western Canada, our verified security system also increases police response time, because they know that a call from Sonitrol is a real crime. Not only does that give criminals less time to run, but it also acts as a deterrent because professional criminals know the Sonitrol name. 

To find out how to best protect your jewellery store from theft, contact us for a free security plan.