Robberies can devastate the business in more ways than one. Apart from losing essential and expensive equipment, it can also dampen the employee’s and customer’s psyche. It counts amongst the most significant risks of business today. The easy availability of guns and knives makes it all the more threatening. Robberies come in various from armed to unarmed ones. Petty thieves and burglars can also destroy your peace of mind.
A commercial robbery occurs very frequently, which keeps most business owners on their toes whenever the place gets crowded. Retail stores face the most significant risks when it comes to robberies. But other businesses like banks are also not immune, although they have 24×7 security. If you own a business yourself, then here are a few ways that will help you eliminate such risks.
Maintain Visibility of Your Store
As already mentioned, retail stores are highly vulnerable to robberies. Therefore, it is essential to make the place visible to the public. The people outside should be able to see clearly what is happening inside. This may deter some robbers and petty burglars. Moreover, you should aid the glass exterior with bright lighting inside. Both combined can make it impossible to escape the public gaze.
Also, ensure to put bright lights outside the store. Additionally, you should display fewer products on the windows and shelves, which may obstruct the views of the place. These are just a few things you can incorporate into your everyday store conditions. As technology improves, you can make better arrangements too.
Create Advanced Entry-Exit Gateways
Automate your gateways to the office building. This also applies to banks and other financial institutions. All businesses, especially jewellery stores, should also have customised security doors installed. You will find such systems in the gateway to the bank vault. Diamond grill types of gates are incredibly beneficial in these places. Firstly, they are strong enough to resist breakage. Additionally, you can see through them. You will find these in advanced designs, including sliding and hinged varieties. They deter burglars as well. You can consider adding them as a second protection element.
If possible, you should also get an automatic biometric-enabled gateway for office premises in general. Employees should be authorised to enter using their fingerprints, face scans, or iris scans. For the rest, the guards can aid in the entry and exit. Always have another staff to man the gateway, along with your guards. They can accompany the guests or consumers to the mentioned counter and then leave them at the gate when they are done. Most jewellery stores always follow this concept.
Exercise Caution in Handling Cash
Always exercise caution when you count large amounts of cash. Be alert while handing over monetary reserves to staff to deposit in the bank. Always keep a separate place or room behind the store to perform such activities. You never know who is watching you.
Additionally, you may also opt for cash collection services. They have the highest security measures and can securely collect your cash and deposit it at the desired place. Always change your deposit schedules and take an additional staff along for the same. Avoid going to the banks to deposit any form of cash after sundown. Robbers keep a watch out for such moments.
Invest in State-of-the-art Safety Systems
Every commercial place should have a CCTV installed at their place. Moreover, have someone monitor the place online continuously. The footage also comes in handy when you have to report some mishap to the police. There will be probing questions from consumers about your security systems, avid answering those. Additionally, you should have alarm systems installed. When someone rings the alarm, it should alert the nearest police station. Always let others know that you have such systems installed. It will deter criminals to a considerable extent.
Train Employees for Robbery Management
Upon joining, you should ensure to make your employees undergo safety training. Robbery management exercises should be a part of the SOP for high-value stores and office premises. The same goes for banks, financial institutions, and jewellery stores. Also, conduct periodic drills to make your staff well-conversant with the real-life situations they may have to face. Businesses that deal with much cash are the primary targets for robbers.
Staff should also be trained to behave and react when the robbers carry dangerous fire equipment. Additionally, if the situation seems out of control, all employees should be informed to cooperate with the robbers. This is for the safety of the employees and consumers at the store or commercial establishment.
You can follow these tips to stop a robbery at your enterprise or store. No one can predict one, but you have to be prepared. Always keep your eyes and ears open to the surroundings and initiate steps as required.