If you keep expensive goods or equipment at your premises then unfortunately your business could become a hot target for criminals.

Most of the time in this technologically-advanced era virtual and electronic crimes like hacking and identity theft may seem like the preeminent concern and we suddenly neglect other obvious threats. When a burglary has occurred on your property and you assess the damage and take stock of the loss, the costs and the disruption it causes can be devastating. A report by Abloy even suggests that the average cost of burglary to a business is £3,986 – so keep in mind these helpful tips for securing your business against break-ins.

Simple steps to help secure your business

There are many options for businesses of varied sizes to consider when planning their security strategy. Locks and safes are crucial for items, stock and on-site cash and other important documents that are of significant value. Additionally, motion-sensitive alarms can help bolster security on the premises where needed and security lights, window screens, and even private police patrols for those businesses who can afford it can make all the difference. However, whatever budget you have, there are two main areas you should never neglect to protect:

Protecting your windows

It’s one of the most obvious points of entry, especially if you’re naïve enough to leave valuable inventory on show after closing time, but some businesses do fatally overlook window protection. There are a number of ways to ensure your windows are secure, everything from adding alarms to installing bars.

Whilst the latter is quite a dramatic solution there is a growing trend towards a more cost-effective approach and organisations across the globe are now opting to install security film to protect their glass. National Window Films, a security a film solutions provider states, ‘Today’s criminals know the vulnerable areas of glass. They can force glazing from its frame with relative ease. Whether you operate shops, banks, offices or government buildings the results are the same: forced entry, damage and theft.’ It’s imperative that you don’t skimp on the window instalment ensuring that the glass, frames and accompanying lock mechanisms are as secure as possible.

Key control

With your premises now abundant with locks for doors, windows and safes it’s vital that the keys for these locks don’t wind up in the wrong hands. We’re not suggesting that those whom are issued with these keys would do anything untoward with them however there are steps you can take to help eliminate the chances of the criminals getting your keys.

Firstly we wouldn’t recommend issuing out multiple keys, just two or even maybe three of each is absolutely fine. A detailed record should be kept to identity each key issued, borrowed, or duplicated and perhaps even a key GPS tracker should be attached in case of loss. Never use a single master key to unlock multiple locks; instead keep them separate to increase the overall security and certainly don’t make the mistake of using a keychain or tag with your company’s logo or address on it.