CGU Insurance says thieves know when your business premises are empty over the festive season, which is one of the most active times for crimes against business.
The insurance company says most business burglaries take place at night and at other times when burglars believe buildings are unlikely to be occupied. The number of business burglaries increases dramatically during the holiday season because premises are often left vacant for relatively long periods.
CGU suggests 10 ways to help deter thieves:
1. Ensure the external areas of your business premises are well lit at all times – car parks in particular. It makes it harder for a thief to get close to your buildings unobserved.
2. Appropriate and well-maintained fences and gates not only make it harder for a burglar to get in but help restrict what they can take out.
3. Make sure the external areas of your premises are rubbish free and all tools and ladders are securely locked away, and either store wheelie bins inside or chain them to posts away from windows.
4. Landscaping around your buildings is important – make sure your buildings are clearly visible and that trees and shrubs don’t provide hiding places close to doors and windows.
5. Ensure your security alarm is serviced and visible, and consider cameras and closed circuit television monitoring.
6. Ram raiding can be prevented by a strong physical barrier (for example bollards, heavy planters or road blocker devices) in front of walls, windows or doors and consider bollards to prevent a vehicle entering your business’s driveway.
7. Deadlocks and window locks take additional time to breach and consider installing window bars if you haven’t got them already.
8. Consider installing protective lighting internally so that if a burglar gets into your building, they are more visible.
9. Walk around your business and determine what would be the most valuable things a burglar could take relatively easily – and consider ways to prevent this (security mark computer and other valuable equipment).
10. Get someone to make regular checks on your premises while they are closed and consider employing a security guard.
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