Christmas is fast approaching, and it won’t be long till Santa is squeezing down the chimney and your staff are enjoying a well-earned festive break.
No matter if your business is closing down completely for a few days over Christmas, or staff are simply more likely to take their annual leave at this time of year, your premises is sure to be a bit quieter than usual until the new year.
Empty or short-staffed business premises are highly attractive to criminals, for obvious reasons, giving them the opportunity to target your most valuable assets with a lower risk of running into your staff.
A quick glance at Christmas season crime rates will leave you in no doubt that vacant property security is something that needs to be taken incredibly seriously and additional action needs to be taken to avoid becoming yet another festive victim.
Retailers in particular are more likely to be victims of theft and vandalism at this time of the year, with criminals looking to secure a much bigger discount than the ones available in the Boxing Day sales.
In this article we will look at just some of ways to protect your property during the Christmas season ensuring you don’t start on the back foot heading into the new year.
Share Responsibility
If your site will be closed completely for any period of time over Christmas it is essential that all entry points are securely locked and protected against intrusions.
This is a big responsibility and leaving the task to a single worker could provide criminals with the opportunity they are looking for. It also means that the duty of remembering key security tasks is on the shoulders of one person.
Instead, assign two trusted workers to the task, or, even better, do it yourself with the assistance of another trusted member of your team.
Install Signage
The last thing that you need is for a criminal to think that an empty site equals an unprotected site.
Signage informing anyone approaching the property that they are under CCTV surveillance and that the site is fully alarmed might seem like a pretty simple thing but it is absolutely critical.
Track comings and Goings
Many commercial premises remain operational over the festive period but with either a skeleton staff or on a slightly different schedule to usual.
With many different people coming and going at different times to usual, it can be hard to keep a track of who is meant to be on the property.
Having a quality access control system in place will do all of this automatically, not only noting who is coming in and out but also identifying the identity of each visitor using biometric detectors.
If you are looking to develop a strong security plan for the Christmas period that takes into account all of the threats that come with vacant properties and the increased risk of theft that arises at this time of year, get in touch with our expert team now.