Business premises security should be one of your top concerns as a business owner. One third of firms have suffered disruption following a crime committed against them, and approximately a quarter of firms have seen their insurance premiums increase as the crimes that are committed against businesses can be costly in terms of the stock or equipment lost, any damage caused to the property whilst gaining access, and also deeply damaging to staff morale.

No matter what sort of business you are in, you will probably have valuable stock and/or assets at your premises – things that you would want protected from criminals. The sort of security you put in place will depend on the type of business you are in, the sort of location of your premises, as well as any common security issues in your local area. Some common methods used in business premises security include:

    • CCTV – Using cameras to monitor inside and/or outside your premises, therefore deterring criminals. They are able to watch remote areas of your business premises, as well as multiple areas. If you have more than one property, you can easily monitor all of them at once from a central control centre and any tapes made of a crime can be used to help police identify and prosecute the intruders.

 

    • Electronic intruder alarms – These are particularly effective if they dial through to a control centre on the detection of an intruder as they allow for rapid response to your property even if you (or your keyholder) are unable to be reached.

 

    • Static Guards – A nice, visible guard on your site will help act as a deterrent for any opportunist criminals, as well as meaning that there is someone on hand if someone does attempt to break into your premises.

 

    • Mobile Patrols – If you feel that your business is too small to warrant a permanent guard presence then maybe a more random, mobile guard service would work better for you. These patrols can keep an eye on your business for you without the cost involved of a permanent presence.

 

    • Dog Patrols – Patrols with dogs are particularly useful if your business is apt to attract large crowds, or be at risk of people trying to smuggle in drugs or other substances (for instance, bars or nightclubs) and also if there are large areas of property to patrol as a dog can move faster than a person

 

  • Access Control Systems – Which allow you to monitor who is entering your property when, which not only helps deter any outside criminals, but also any potential criminals within your own staff.

As with all things regarding your business, it is important that you research which option will work best for your business. Talk to other businesses that you know, discuss the options with a specialist security company, or do some research yourself – which ever route you take you should ensure that you have adequate business premises security to avoid any downtime incurred by criminal activity.