5 Tips to Protect Your Business from Property Crime and Theft

Property crime costs businesses large and small countless millions in lost money and inventory every year. Very few industries are unaffected by theft, vandalism and property destruction, and criminals don’t care who they target, just so long as they can get away with it.

With criminals growing increasingly more sophisticated, it’s up to business owners and property managers to shore up their security. And with businesses four times more likely to be burglarized than homes, there’s no better time than now to get your own plan in place.

Here are five key ways to protect your business from costly crime.

#1 Conduct a Risk Assessment & Develop a Security Plan

It may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s important to gather comprehensive intel on the potential vulnerabilities of your business. If you’ve already experienced a break-in or theft, it’s easy to run out and hire guards, install new fencing, buy cameras and do it all without an overall strategy in mind.

While all of these elements may be important, make sure you’re thinking in terms of the big picture, and consider how your various security measures will work together — not only to catch, but also deter criminals.

For example, in the car dealership industry, which suffers a criminal incident around every 37 days, fixed security cameras and lighting may be appropriate to help secure the interior of the showroom, but mobile surveillance cameras and motion sensor lighting could be a better choice for large, exterior lots.

Know where your potential weak spots are and cover all of your bases as you develop your own custom security plan. And don’t be afraid to consult experts when it comes to the decisions that will affect your business’s bottom line.

#2 Make Sure Your Property is Well-Lit

Proper lighting is a crucial element of an effective security strategy. Criminals are drawn to dark corners, blind spots and dimly lit facilities. The right combination of interior and exterior lights can be used as an active deterrent against trespassing, theft and property destruction.

Lighting is especially effective as a deterrent when paired with remote video surveillance and monitoring that uses smart cameras to identify suspicious activity in hard-to-watch spots. Even in hidden corners, these next-gen cameras can trigger lights and other deterrents to proactively repel 97% of intruders before they can commit a crime.

As a basic measure, make sure that all of your valuable inventory, entrances and exits, and parking lots are securely lit with lighting that fits the size and scale of your business.

#3 Install Security Cameras for 24/7 Surveillance to Deter Property Crime

In today’s landscape, any business that wants to compete is going to find themselves behind the 8-ball without the right video surveillance in place. You need to have your property covered, inside and out. This includes protecting wide-open areas like construction and drilling sites, sprawling farms, and utility facilities.

For businesses in these industries, there’s just no way to effectively monitor and secure large properties without advanced tools. This is where you need mobile video surveillance solutions with remote video monitoring to identify, track and evaluate potential security threats.

Consider that 21% of construction sites experience theft once per week, and 92% of these businesses face an average loss per theft around $29K. More often than not, it’s all too easy for criminals to trespass onto unsecured or under-secured premises, stealing valuable tools, equipment, appliances, wiring and anything else they can get their hands on.

Stopping this kind of crime means putting a security program in place that includes modern surveillance cameras with proactive live monitoring to keep watch on even the hardest-to-secure corners of your property.

#4 Review Your Security Plan on a Regular Basis

Once you have your plan in place, it’s important to monitor it over time. Make sure you’re keeping up with any new and emerging threats.

With modern surveillance and monitoring systems, you have the benefit of advanced technology that solves equipment problems before they happen, and you can even check in on remote parts of your property from the convenience of your cell phone.

Having the right plan in place with the right equipment provides invaluable peace of mind, and makes it easier to keep tabs on your security protocol. Cutting-edge technology like AI gives business owners a leg up and makes it easier to efficiently eliminate the ongoing threat of theft and other destructive crime.

#5 Make Sure Your Employees Know Policies & Procedures

Inside jobs are a serious problem for businesses in many industries. The cannabis industry has been hit especially hard. Consider that 90% of the financial and product losses in Cannabusiness can be chalked up to inside jobs.

Take the time to fully vet employees with background checks, especially if those employees are responsible for guarding expensive assets. Beyond taking steps to sufficiently screen employees, it’s important to provide the proper training for all of your employees, especially when it comes to securing your business and property.

Make sure everyone is on the same page and fully understands what is expected of them, including their individual roles within your overall security strategy.