Many retail crimes that have been making the headlines lately involve smash-and-grab robberies. The robberies happen when a group of people smashes through doors and windows in retail businesses, stealing everything as quickly as they can. Smash and grab robbers usually get in and out of stores in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. They leave damaged glass, shattered doors, damaged showcases in their wake. When these crimes happen, business owners are confronted with costly repairs, lengthy meetings with authorities and their insurers, and the possibility of shutting their businesses.
They are generally high-profile, audacious attacks that occur swiftly and lead to huge amounts of money being lost. If you have ever seen any security footage of a smash and grab robbery, it may seem that nothing could be done to prevent it, but this isn't always the reality. There are ways in which you can protect your business, avoid being a target, and prevent smash and grab robberies at your retail store.
Layer Your Retail Store’s Security
Grab and smash robbers survey stores to identify those likely to be ideal targets. They're usually aiming for stores with huge windows or doors that can be shattered or knocked down effortlessly with stones, rocks, hammers, or other tools.
They're also looking for stores with little but valuable stuff. So, they look for stores that sell medicines, personal devices, jewelry, personal care products, and various other lightweight but valuable goods. These things could be illegally traded on the black market.
Retailers must take precautions to safeguard their establishments from these robberies. The easiest way to do that is to ensure that your security system is properly layered. This means not concentrating on only one kind of security. Rather, different types of protection are needed, in addition to physical security equipment. Security layering is critical because of the rapidity with which smash and grab robbers work.
Most businesses have alarm systems. However, the purpose of an alarm device is to draw attention to any crime as it happens and notify the police. Unfortunately, because many smash and grab robbers rob the stores quickly, the authorities or security personnel will not have sufficient time to intervene.
The robbers will have already fled by the moment the authorities arrive. Video security cameras can record footage of the robbers and their offenses, but it only aids in the investigation after the incident. The footage isn't going to deter the criminals from robbing your store.
Even though the police might apprehend them later, the destruction to your business will have already been done. Furthermore, an increasing number of robbers are concealing their faces using masks, wraps, or hoods while committing these crimes. This makes it even more challenging to recognize them.
Installing actual security mechanisms on a business, like security doors and gates, makes it harder for anyone to get in illegally. Criminals, as previously stated, do not like to spend too much time at a location. The authorities will be capable of responding to the alarm if they take too long.
It also increases the amount of footage that security cameras can record. Criminals are slowed by security gates, which create a solid physical boundary for your business. This reduces the likelihood of smash and grab robberies since thieves are unwilling to face the risks connected with such equipment.
Invest in Proper Lighting
It's easy for passers-by to see if anything unusual is going on within your establishment when it's well-lit. A well-lit store with security cameras may dissuade criminals from trying their luck.
Grab and smash robbers are always on the lookout for businesses that seem to be the quickest to loot. If you make it appear like your business is hard to attack, no robbers will not think of attacking it.
Leave lights on throughout the night to guarantee that any activity can be seen from the outside by passers-by or by the surveillance cameras. Ensuring your facility is adequately lit ensures that all conceivable entries and exits are visible at all times of the day and night. Robbers may frequently inspect a business and search for poorly lit or dark entrances to minimize the chances of being noticed while breaking in.
In conjunction with ensuring you have sufficient lighting, check to see if your existing fixtures are in great condition regularly. Replace any faulty or damaged bulbs as soon as possible. It's generally a good idea to install outdoor lighting in enclosures to cut costs and secure your system from bad weather and theft.
If you run a retail shop with high-value items, keep it properly lit but far from the windows, as prospective criminals could be more likely to try a smash-and-grab robbery if very valuable items are easy to reach. You'll probably want to put your lights on a preset such that they come on when the sun starts to set. You will hardly forget to switch them this way.
Purchasing motion-activated lighting makes perfect sense for most businesses. They can often be used in conjunction with smart surveillance video analytics and virtual security guards who watch surveillance feeds for any threats.
Although most businesses struggle with a lack of adequate lighting, those who have just installed security lights could be confronted with a new problem: glare. Sadly, glare can make it difficult for anyone to see clearly during the night, which favors criminal activity.
This is why security specialists make sure to incorporate softer lighting, scatter lights evenly across outdoor spaces, and avoid installing lighting that shines directly into the eyes of people or interferes with surveillance cameras.
Hire Trained Security Personnel
Many businesses employ security guards to keep their businesses safe from crime. Trained security personnel can help enterprises of all sizes, from small businesses to large corporate buildings, improve their security and safety.
Your business can be guarded 24/7 when you hire security guards from the best security agencies. The security officers will keep an eye on your business while you're away on holiday, while you are working, or maybe at home sleeping. Security personnel are usually present even on weekends and holidays when most businesses are closed. This will guarantee that your business is always safe, and you will have peace of mind when you know that they're watching over your business when you're away.
The sight of a uniformed guard at your premises can discourage a lot of crimes. Criminals may think more carefully before trying to rob, destroy, or ransack your business if a security guard is visibly monitoring it. Although security cameras can help prevent some criminal conduct, they are often only beneficial after an incident has happened. The sight of security at your establishment will also help your staff, customers, and clients, feel more relaxed.
They are taught to pay close attention to their work settings and to always be on the lookout for anything peculiar or unusual. Guards are taught to look for signs that someone is planning to engage in crime, including trespassing, vandalism, or stealing.
Meticulous observation also entails noticing important pieces of information that most people seem to miss, like suspects' physical attributes, the model of a car, and license plates.
They also learn the right protocols for detaining suspected criminals until law enforcement arrives at the location. The security personnel will then hand over the offenders to the authorities and offer eyewitness testimony about the purported crimes.
You could also hire security personnel who are allowed to carry guns while on the job. Armed guards are an effective deterrent to business crimes like smash and grab robberies.
Install Showcases With Burglary Resistance Glass
At times, the only thing that could be between you, your merchandise, assets, and the criminals' other merchandise is a sheet of glass. So why not go the extra mile to avert an unwelcome robbery at your store's most exposed points?
Improving the reliability of your business's glass could have a significant impact on protecting you and your business. Adding protection films to your existing glass or installing windows with tempered glass could help you against smash and grab robberies, be it for your storefront windows, your glass door, or your showcases. Let's have a glance at the many glass alternatives available.
Types of Glass
Unsecured glass is referred to as plate glass or float. It is the most popular form of glass used in residential windows. With enough effort, this glass could be broken easily into uneven pieces with sharp sides. Plate glass provides weather protection but not much in the way of actual security.
Tempered glass, sometimes called safety glass, is more durable against fractures than plate glass. When it fractures, it normally shatters into little pieces that are less likely to inflict significant injury.
Next in line is laminated glass. This is the best type of glass for protection against burglary. Laminated glass is a close-to-perfect protection and business safety option for entry doors and showcases.
For laminated glass, two or even more sheets of glass are bound together using a highly durable interlayer, which allows the laminated glass to firmly withstand infiltration by objects.
This glass will likely stay in its casing if it breaks, reducing the threat of damage from jagged edges or falling glass pieces. That's because the interlayer, which is usually made of polyvinyl butyral or ethylene-vinyl acetate, holds the glass panes in position throughout the breaking process.
Even though it is more expensive, laminated glass provides more safety that deters and typically prevents the typical robbery, and its usage in retail, as well as commercial settings, has progressively expanded in recent times. Laminated glass is currently used in display settings in many high-risk retail outlets selling jewelry or firearms. Trying to break into a business that has been reinforced with laminated glass is difficult, as it requires a great deal of work, noise, and a huge amount of time.
When it comes to deciding which kind of glass is best for your needs, there are several factors to take into account. Ground-level laminated glass doors or windows are a reliable and solid bet because those will certainly be among the most vulnerable spots during smash and grab robberies. Although they need to be framed properly, laminated safety glasses can be applied to either the inside or outside pane of a double-glazed window.
Laminated glasses come in a variety of protection and safety levels depending on the thickness and/or the number of each bonded glass and interlayer layer. The following are the primary varieties of safety glass:
Glass impervious to physical attacks
Double-glazed windows that are impervious to physical attacks like a hammer or club, must meet the criteria for damage and burglary protection. These types of security glasses are laminated for added safety and come in thicknesses ranging from 6.5mm to 25mm. It's also possible to get it with built-in security sensors.
Bullet-resistant glass
This category includes several degrees of security glasses that safeguard against bullets fired by several weapons, ranging from handguns to shotguns. This will help protect against falling glass shards caused by gunshot strikes.
Glasses that can withstand the pressure of an explosion
Explosion-resistant double-glazed windows can be used in any building that is in a highly risky risk zone for explosions. Explosion-resistant glasses are an efficient way to reduce the amount of damage and injuries produced by an explosion, whether it is caused accidentally or maliciously.
Use Retail Security Cameras
There is no doubt that retail surveillance cameras are a crucial component of increasing store protection and efficiency, and that's why the surveillance camera technology industry has exploded in the past few years.
Although this can be interpreted to mean that today's world is becoming increasingly dangerous, it can also mean that more retail businesses are realizing the importance of retail surveillance cameras to keep their businesses secure.
Whether it's offering real-time security against grab and smash robberies or 24/7 surveillance against vandalism or break-ins, surveillance cameras are a must-have for any business owner. While installing retail surveillance camera systems for your business may appear unreasonably pricey, it does not have to be. And if done correctly, it can pay off handsomely in the long term.
Educate Your Staff
Business owners cannot assume that their staff will know what to do when a robbery occurs or perhaps other high-stress situations occur. Although it's a subject that most employees would not imagine happening, it's also something they must be better prepared for.
It's especially applicable for people who work in jobs where robberies are common, like retail. Make sure your staff onboarding and your orientation program incorporate instructions as to how to act in unnerving scenarios and how to stay relaxed when a robbery happens.
Do Not Keep Huge Amounts of Money Inside the Store
Keeping extra cash in your cash registers in any kind of retail store has never been a smart idea. Every business should make an effort to have as little money on hand as possible. If you're a retailer, you have only enough cash available to handle customer purchases and regularly put large sums in a safe deposit box.
Retailers have to make daily deposits to prevent leaving big sums of money in the safe when they are not open. If at all feasible, have two persons take the cash at different times each day, taking different paths so that thieves can't easily trace them or spot tendencies in the deposit strategy.
If possible, you might even hire an armored transportation service to protect you and your employees. If that isn't an option, camouflage your moneybag and try utilizing different vehicles and paths to make it even harder for robbers to trace your movements.
Be Careful When Hiring Staff
It's not easy to find people who are genuine and trustworthy. Try outsourcing the recruiting procedure to a human resource agency to guarantee you are getting good recruits if you do not think you're a strong judge of character or just can't commit to this process.
Keep in mind that trust must be earned, so keep the level of details you disclose with new employees to a minimum initially. Employees may be collaborating with criminals from the outside, helping them and providing them with details that may assist them in committing the crime.
It's not unusual for current or former employees to try to commit a robbery.
Maintain a Good Relationship With Your Neighbors
Regardless of whether your store is situated in a heavily populated area or a quiet one, you almost certainly have neighbors nearby. Make friends with them and remember to be good to them. This fosters a feeling of togetherness and provides you with several additional pairs of eyes to keep a check on your store for any questionable activity.
Maintaining positive relationships with your neighbors enables you to learn about new advancements in the community and obtain a general understanding of the area. In addition, it would assist you in staying abreast of local crime patterns and keep you posted on that level.
Since everyone is looking out for each other, a good community is an awesome deterrent to criminal activity.
Find Retail Store Security Services Near Me
Adopting these tips to prevent smash and grab robberies could help make your retail store a hard target, deterring robbers from attempting any kind of robbery at your store. We at Green Knight Security can assist you in identifying the appropriate business solutions to safeguard your business and developing a security strategy for your retail store in Los Angeles. Call us right now at 844-457-8326 if you are seeking security training and services for your business.
