Protect YourBusiness From CrimeTOP TEN WAYS

Introduction

One of the direst threats for a businesses is that posed by crime.Businesses that neglect to address this threat do so at their peril.It may be that you are attracting custom and reaping healthyprofits, but if you are not protecting your business from criminalswho may wish to inflict harm upon it, then that success will be aprecarious one. This much, perhaps, is unsurprising; if you haveno means of preventing criminals from entering your premises,damaging your stock or hurting your staff, then your business willsuffer as a result.

Crime in the UK, according to official government figures, isfalling. One of the most likely driving factors in this downturn isan increased willingness among home and business owners totake the problem more seriously and to introduce new practicesand technologies which help to combat it. The problem is that thecriminals, too, are always looking for new and ingenious ways toundermine these measures.

Here are ten ways you can reduce the risks your businesses faceon a day to day basis.

1. Perform a risk assessment

The first step toward solving any problem is establishing exactlywhat is causing it. This is just as true when it comes to securingyour business as it is in all other things. A risk assessmentshould identify vulnerable areas and weak spots, in order thatthey be addressed by any subsequent action you take.

It may be that you have already fallen victim to crime. If so, thenlearn from your mistakes and take action, so that the samevulnerability cannot be exploited over and over again. Forexample, if you have an employee who leaves a door open duringthe night-time shift while going for a cigarette break and therebyallows a thief to get in, the best way of stopping future attacks isto ensure that the door is never left open again.

A risk assessment may reveal many such problems. Many ofthem may be fixable with just a few changes put into practice –these changes can be put into effect without spending anymoney at all, but by instructing staff as to how these problemsmay, in future, be avoided.

While there are some problems which can be addressed with afew changes in practice, there are others which may requiresome further investment.

2. Seek advice

As well as performing your own internal risk assessment, youshould also seek the advice of the people who know best – thepolice. If your premises is in a crime hotspot, then they will knowexactly where the threats are coming from and how you canlower them.

Similarly, where cybercrime is concerned, you should speak towhoever is providing you with IT equipment and services. Thiswill enable you to protect your business against the threatsposed by viruses and other malicious attacks.

Problems with information technology are often, by their verynature, intensely technical and there is no way that businessowners can be expected to keep on top of them without solicitingoutside advice from specialists. There is a wealth of informationout there on the subject – and the state of play is constantlyevolving. It is therefore important that you consult with someonewho knows what they are talking about.

3. Secure your premises

Once you have identified the potential weak areas of yourpremises, you should make sure that they are properly secured.This might involve fitting additional locks and lighting, or it mightinvolve getting rid of certain doors and windows in order to bringin more robust replacements. Burglars’ are easily deterred byimpassable obstacles.

A similar deterrent comes in the form of an alarm systemproperly advertised with signs and flashing lights. If you have agreat deal of high-value stock, then a good investment would beto put up security shutters – particularly if the site is not mannedovernight.

While the cost of this may be off-putting for many small businessowners, it may be economically viable in the long term becauseof the effect it has on your insurance premiums. Insurersrecognise the value of a secure investment and, in many cases,this will be reflected in the amounts of money they will chargeyou.

4. Offer training

While these general precautionary investments will prove useful,it is also important that proper training is given to everyoneworking on site. This will ensure that the damaging impact of anyincident is minimised.

It is especially important that staff members know to co-operatewith any criminals who threaten them. After all, human life andlimb is worth more than whatever the thieves might intend tomake off with. Ensure that tills are routinely emptied and thatcash in the safe is routinely banked. Advertise these practicesand put up signs to warn would-be robbers of it. A site inductionis also essential for anyone new to the site.

5. Secure your equipment

If your premises contains high-value goods and equipment, likelaptops and other portable electronic devices, then it is importantto keep them secure. If possible, keep them in a room whichcannot easily be accessed and fit them with security tags whichwill enable you to track them down if they should become stolen.This also goes for larger plant equipment, tools, diesel and otherhigh value target materials like copper. Ensure they are lockedaway, tagged and monitored where possible.

6. Keep track of your equipment

Even if you have the most rugged security arrangements and yourequipment is kept under lock and key, it may be that itnevertheless sometimes goes missing. After all, human error canmake life easier for thieves and deliberate co-operation can makeit easier still. Put in place a system to control access that statesby who, why, where and when the equipment is being used.

If you are in the habit of recording when and where all of yourequipment is being moved around to, and by carrying out regularstock counts in order to identify discrepancies, then this dangerwill be minimised. Petty cash is particularly attractive to thieves,as it is portable and its absence can be disguised as (or mistakenfor) an error.

7. Prevent employee theft

As we’ve just mentioned, one of the greatest dangers comesfrom your employees themselves. For this reason, it is importantthat your hiring process is stringent enough that potential thievesare excluded. This will include checking employment history andreferences in order to ensure that no wrongdoing has occurred inthe employee’s past.

It is important that staff are aware of the seriousness of pettytheft. Suffice to say, where theft is identified it should be dealtwith decisively. This will set an example to other employees. Youshould co-operate with prosecutions when they are required.

8. Protect sensitive information

We have thus far discussed the importance of protecting abusiness physically. But we live in a world in which informationcan be just as valuable as cash and goods. For that reason, itshould be handled sensitively and in accordance with the dataprotection act.

Whether sensitive information is stored digitally or physically, it isimportant that access to it is restricted. This typically meansensuring that authorised individuals are told to devise strongpasswords which cannot easily be guessed. Pseudo-randomacronyms which are only memorable if you know the entiresentence they spell out. For example, ‘WDBSAETYAN’ is almostimpossible to commit to memory, but ‘why do birds suddenlyappear every time you are near’ is not.

You should also ensure that malicious hackers cannot gainaccess to your sensitive data through the internet. This requiresthat security software, such as firewalls and anti-viruses, beinstalled; and it also requires that they be kept updated andthereby equipped to deal with new threats.

9. Properly dispose of sensitive documents

If you’ve ever seen a television drama in which someone rootsthrough a skip in search of sensitive documents, then you’ll beaware of the cost of throwing such documents in the bin. Whilemany of the actions thus far listed are complex and hugelydependant on circumstances of the business, this one is a greatdeal more straightforward. Documents containing sensitiveinformation need to be destroyed and your office staff require ameans of destroying them. You should therefore invest in ashredder and ensure that all of your employees know how to useit and when it should be used.

10. Evaluate your performance

Security is not something which can be permanently fixed andthen never again addressed. The situation is constantly evolving– new technologies are becoming available which better protectyour premises and new methods are being devised by thecriminals your business needs to be protected from.

For this reason, it is important that you undertake periodicreviews – preferably by an expert and impartial third party – inorder to identify any problems before they occur and takepreventative action. These security audits should ideallyperformed at annual intervals. Once undertaken, they can hugelybenefit the security of the business as a whole and thereby it’sgeneral performance in the long-term too.

Let Tag monitor, detect...

and minimise the threat.