Business Crime Prevention Guide
Crime — burglary, robbery, and vandalism —can be particularly devastating to smallbusinesses in terms of money, customers,and employee safety. Through crimeprevention, business owners can protect theirassets as well as their employees.
Laying a Foundation for Prevention
Business owners should take a hard look attheir businesses in areas such as physicallayout, number of employees, hiringpractices, and overall security to determinevulnerability to various kinds of crime, fromburglary to internal theft. Once this step hasbeen taken, crime prevention measures canthen be implemented.• Establish and enforce clear policies aboutemployee theft, crime reporting, opening andclosing the business, and other securityprocedures.• Provide training for all employees onsecurity procedures.• Use good locks, safes, and alarm systems.Check with several companies and decidewhat level of security fits the needs of thebusiness
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• Keep detailed, up-to-date business records,such as inventories and banking records, andstore back-up copies off premises. If abusiness is ever victimized, the owner canassess losses more easily and provide usefulinformation for police investigations
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• Engrave all valuable office equipment andtools with a unique identification numbersuch as licence number. Do not use yourSocial Insurance Number.
Mark equipmentsuch as cash registers, printers, andcomputers.• Keep a record of all identification numbersoff premises along with other importantrecords.• Consider the cost of each securityimprovement made against the potentialsavings through loss reduction.Remember to assess the impact onemployees and customers. Since crimesagainst businesses are usually crimes of opportunity, failure to take good securityprecautions invites crime into a business.
Burglary Prevention
• Make sure all outside entrances and insidesecurity doors have 1” deadbolt locks withfree turning steel collar or tapered-cylinderguard. Double cylinder locks arerecommended when glass is located within 1metre of the lock mechanism. Wooden doorframes require a security strike with 3”mounting screws. The frame of the door mustbe as strong as the door being used. If security padlocks are used, they should bemade of solid or laminated hardened steeland kept locked at all times. A double lockingbolt (shackle 3/8” minimum diameter)providing “heel & toe” locking; 5-pin tumblerin the cylinder and a key retention featurethat prevents removal of the key until it islocked.• All outside or security doors should bemetal-lined or solid-core hardwood andsecured with metal security crossbars and/orsecured with heavy-duty, multiple point, slidebolts. Pin all exposed hinges to preventremoval or install security hinges.• Windows should have secure locks andburglar-resistant glass or a security laminateinstalled. Consider installing bars, metalgrates on all accessible windows exceptdisplay windows. An expandable securitygate can be used at closing for displaywindows and glass doors.• Remove all expensive items from windowdisplays at night and make sure you caneasily see into the business after closing.• Light the inside and outside of the business,especially around doors, windows, skylights,or other entry points. Consider installingcovers over exterior lights and power sourcesto deter tampering.• Check the parking lot for good lighting andunobstructed views.• Keep the cash register in plain view fromthe outside of the business, so police andpedestrians can monitor it at all times. Leaveit open and empty after closing. You can evenput the empty cash tray on display.• Be sure the safe is fireproof, securelyanchored and kept in plain view. Leave itopen when empty and use it to lock upvaluables at close. Remember to change thecombination when an employee who has hadaccess to it leaves the business.• Before investing in an alarm system, checkwith several companies and decide whatlevel of security fits the needs of the
14 Division, Toronto Police Service150 Harrison Street, Toronto, ON M6J 2A4 (416)808-14003
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