Make Sure Your Business Has a Safe Christmas

Many businesses take the festive period as a well-earned holiday. Unfortunately, criminals generally don’t. In fact, it’s one of the busiest times of the year for them. It’s therefore important to make sure that your retail business is safe before you go off on your festive holiday. Here are some tips.

Deal with any repairs and maintenance

A secure perimeter is your first line of defence against intruders. You may get away with ignoring small maintenance issues when there are plenty of reliable people around. The holidays are, however, by definition, a time when people are not around.

Pay close attention to your windows. These can be a major point of vulnerability. As a minimum check that they shut properly and that their locks work. There may still be time to get security shutters. If money is an issue, consider just putting them on low-level windows.

If any of your security-related equipment is due for a service, get it done before Christmas if you possibly can. This is particularly important for CCTV and lighting. Also, double-check that your CCTV signage is still both clearly visible and clearly legible and if it’s not, get it updated quickly.

Make sure valuables are out of sight

If you have anything really valuable, then you may want to take it off-site. If that is not possible, consider putting it in the safest storage place in your building. Keep all valuables out of public view. Security shutters will address this problem, but there are a couple of other options.

If you have curtains or blinds, then make sure that they are closed, or at least closed enough to stop people seeing in. If you don’t, then you might want to cover your windows with privacy film. This is both very affordable and very effective. In fact, it can be worth using even if you do have window treatments as it acts as a safeguard against people forgetting to close them before leaving.

Speaking of window treatments, it’s preferable to take down your Christmas decorations before you close down. They can be a hazard. At the very least unplug any lights.

Consider monitoring and access requirements

Ideally, you’ll have some sort of professional security monitoring in place. Depending on your business, this could be on-site or remote. If it’s the former, they’ll presumably have any necessary keys/fobs/codes. If it’s the latter, then you’ll need to think about how they’ll get in if there is an issue. Make sure you have keyholders available and that their details are up to date.

If you don’t have professional security, then you might want to have someone pop in from time to time to keep an eye on the place. Make sure, however, that you consider the health and safety implications of this. For example, will they have adequate lighting all the way to the relevant entrance?

Make sure everyone exits the building in an orderly manner

Treat your festive lock down a bit like a fire drill. Make sure that everyone is confirmed to be out of the building before you lock up. Ideally, have at least two people lock up together for extra safety and think about their arrangements for leaving.