10 ways to protect your business from crime

Did you know that 20% of all recorded crime in the UK is made against businesses – so it’s important that companies are aware of who and what could be at risk and the protection they need to put in place before it’s too late.

Risk assessments are usually associated with health & safety but you should also think about how criminals could potentially take advantage of your company. You may think this is to prevent people from accessing or breaking-in to your premises – but it could also be about identifying the potential for internal thefts.

Ensure you have adequate locks on doors and windows and make someone responsible for ensuring they’re locked at the end of every day.

Install an adequate intruder alarm and place the alarm box in a prominent position outside of the property – thieves will think twice about entering an alarmed building.

Install a CCTV system to monitor vulnerable points and external yards – these can be linked to an alarm and monitoring system so you can keep an eye on your premises from your own home.

Control access to your property with fobs or cards so you can restrict people movement and have a record of who’s on the premises at any given time.

Install adequate external lighting.

Secure your equipment, carry out regular property and equipment audits. Tag computers and record serial numbers and even consider securing expensive equipment to the floors or walls.

Keep a close eye on your stock to identify discrepancies early.

Always verify previous employment history and make sure you check references.

Continually monitor and assess your security measures as your business grows.