Shared Commercial Security

As a business owner, you have the enormous responsibility to safeguard the security of your employees, customers or clients, inventory, office supplies, financial information, confidential files, and the physical structure of your establishment. Not surprisingly, those are the same concerns of all the business owners in your building or shopping area. So, with your shared concerns, why not share your commercial security efforts?

You are already employing security measures for your individual business, like inside surveillance cameras, an effective inside alarms, inside and outside lighting, secured safe and cash register systems, impact resistant display and window glass, security code system, and high-end locking systems. Just imagine how much more secure your location would be against break-ins, thefts, or property damage if there was a group of business owners committed to shared commercial security.

Aside from hiring private security patrols, are there ways that merchants and office service owners can join together to help each other deter burglaries and property damage whether the business is open or closed? The simple answer is yes. Once one business has experienced a robbery or structural damage, the adjoining businesses feel more vulnerable to the same type of invasion.

As a long established, family owned, Perth locksmith service, we spoke with our affiliate Locksmith Guild of Australia member companies and local security firms for suggestions on how we can help our commercial businesses become a safer and more secure community for both the owners, customers and clients. Here are the results of our combined knowledge about shared commercial security, some of which you may already use.

The main goal of shared commercial security is to protect all of the businesses from criminal activities. The majority of robberies and property damage occurs during the nighttime hours, typically from 9PM to 3AM. This means that the security procedures used while the stores are open will not protect the businesses when they are closed for the evening.

Good lighting that remains on when a shop is closed, both inside and outside, makes a burglar think twice before attempting to break-in to a store. Common areas with security lighting that are monitored by CCTV cameras are less likely to experience vandalism or thefts. Criminals prefer to act when they think no one is around or watching. If a business has a CCTV camera, it is beneficial for everyone in the shopping area to ensure that it is operating.

Another great deterrent to the use of lights equipped with motion detectors. An area may seem to be dark until someone comes close to the front windows or doors of businesses. The sudden burst of light will warn thieves away from the stores. The last thing a theft wants is to be seen.

Owners of businesses can watch out for each other with group cooperation and by forming an action committee. And, utilising these digital security measures will prove to be less expensive than the losses that could occur without them.

Security in the common areas shared by commercial stores goes beyond the use of lighting, motion detectors, and cameras. Other ways that shops can protect themselves from criminals are with the front appearance of the stores. The use of shatter-resistant glass in the doors and windows prevent easy access into the businesses when they are closed. Keeping interior lights on provides a level of visibility that criminals shy away from. Another way to deter crime is to keep the height of window displays to less than 2 feet in height. This lets passersby and security patrols see any movement inside of a closed store. In addition to window displays, display racks inside a shop should be no higher than 5 feet as this makes it harder for thieves to find places to hide.

Some businesses use the exterior of their stores to attract business. This can be in the form of A-frame signs, benches, tables and chairs, seasonal floral arrangements, and colourful banners. All effective when the stores are open, but they also offer lots of hiding spaces at night. Businesses need to take these outside fixtures and furniture inside when the shops are closing. Employees can help by taking in signs or furniture left out by neighbouring shops. When common areas are left bare at night, there are no places for a vandal to hide when attempting to enter a closed store. 

Fixtures that cannot be taken in, such as trees, large potted plants and trash receptacles, should be several feet away from the store doors and windows. Smaller trees are thinner and harder for someone to hide behind.