PROTECTING YOUR BUSINESS

With many businesses shutting temporarily over the Christmas period, here we highlight the measures companies may wish to take to ensure their business remains safe and sound. 

1. Turn off water, gas and electrics. 

   Protect your premises from potential burst pipes, explosions and fires by turning off any non-essential utilities.   If it's not possible to turn off the electrics because of CCTV and alarms, at the very least remove plugs from sockets and switch them off.  

2. Check premises.

   It's advisable to pop in and check your premises during the closure period.  Look around for any signs of disturbance and remove post from the letter box, as it not only indicates that the premises are empty, but can also be a temptation for arson.   

3. Review external security

   Look at the physical aspects of the building, which act as the first line of defence against an incident.  These include windows, doors, locks, CCTV and consider any external influences such as anti-social behaviour outside your building.   

4. Assess your internal security.

   Secure cash tills, visible stock and contents left on display after closing, and items which aren't security tagged. Store expensive stock and valuables in a secure room, use lock down plates on computers and ensure CCTV is working and focused on entrances and exits. 

5. Install a good alarm system and make sure it's set.

   It's worth thinking about installing an alarm linked to a central monitoring station, providing peace of mind that a key holder will be alerted should it be triggered. Monitoring stations can also alert the Police so they can respond as soon as the alarm is activated.