It’s all too easy to believe that most crime takes place in the hours of the night when the wrongdoer is cloaked in darkness. And where this belief is taken to be fact, many people are tempted to raise their guard as the long nights of winter become a thing of the past (at least for a few months!)
But the fact is that crime can and does take place in the full light of day. Some criminals in fact enjoy the presence of light as they go about their nefarious business, acting as if they have every right to be there and are just doing their job.
To beat daytime crime it is best to focus on things like shoplifting, internal theft, vandalism, and unauthorised access during operating hours, when foot traffic creates blind spots.
Deterrence Pays
As with nighttime crime, the presence of highly visible CCTV cameras and security guards greatly reduces the level of potential loss. AI can even be integrated into CCTV systems, alerting staff to threats when it recognises any suspicious activity.
Shoplifting
As the news shows, this is becoming a big threat to any business where the goods are easily accessible and transportable. Whilst not a perfect solution, laying out a store so that there are no blind spots (perhaps using convex mirrors) and placing high value goods in easy to see locations, will help reduce loss. Anti shoplifting signage, this giving the impression at least that surveillance is being carried out and the retribution will follow if anyone steals from the store, also helps.
Providing regular training (every 6 months) on spotting tactics like group distractions, baggy clothing, price-switching, or grab-and-runs, as well as teaching safe responses like alerting managers without direct confrontation, will also help. Another system that seems to work is to greet customers when they arrive in the store (it again gives the impression that they are being monitored). Increasing patrols during peak hours has also been shown to reduce loss.
Internal Theft
Here, controlling access to stockrooms and other restricted areas reduce opportunity and therefore loss, so are well worth installing.
Free Audits
It could well be that the local crime prevention office will provide a free audit on your security measures, and if not, Wye Security offers such a service to all of its customers as it helps both parties to understand the threats, weaknesses as well as the needs of the business in question.
But every business is different and requires a unique approach. The one thing in common though is that the presence of a security guard, whether permanently on site, or one who appears in a random manner as a part of a mobile patrol, reduces the potential for theft, loss or vandalism.
This is where Wye Security can really add value to your overall security plan, mobile security patrols being especially useful for those running construction sites, or have any location that is not permanently manned during the day, as these locations are ones that are easy prey to the criminal or wrongdoer.
But Don’t Forget The Night!
Whilst this article has been all about protecting your business premises and staff during the day, it is still important to ensure adequate nighttime security measures are in place.
It may not be cost effective to have a security guard on the premises throughout the night, but again this is where the mobile patrol service that Wye Security offers comes into play, criminals not being too keen to hang around if they think a mobile patrol could appear seemingly out of nowhere when they are at work…
So, if you have any worries that your day time security (or your nighttime security for that matter) may not be up to scratch, then please do contact us.