How to Prevent a Robbery at Your Business

A robbery at your business can mean more than just financial losses. It can impact the morale of your staff and the reputation of your business. It is critical that business owners take steps to prevent robberies at their business before a crime takes place.

Few businesses are immune to crime, especially the crime of robbery. However, certain businesses, such as retail establishments and convenience stores, are frequently at higher risk. How can you prevent robberies from occurring at your business?

Under the law, there are many different types of robberies that can occur. By definition robbery is “taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and or by putting the victim in fear.”

Robberies can often involve the use of violence, including weapons. They can be traumatizing for those involved, especially for unsuspecting employees or customers who happen to be on scene at the time. Robbery and other theft crimes must be taken seriously. 

There are some things business owners can do to prevent a robbery from happening in the first place. Below, we have highlighted some of the most common measures that you can take at your place of business to secure people and property.

4 Ways to Prevent a Robbery at Your Business 

Adequately train your staff. 

Training your staff can have multiple benefits in the prevention of a robbery. For one, staff members that receive training feel more prepared to handle dangerous situations. They will have greater peace of mind knowing that their employer has prepared them to the extent possible to confidently handle a criminal situation such as a robbery.

Secondly, trained staff members who know how to react to a crime in progress will be better equipped to handle the situation and work with law enforcement after the fact.

Training should be comprehensive and include: 

• How to identify suspicious behavior
• What kinds of information would-be thieves may attempt to gather from staff 
• How to react and interact with the perpetrator 
• Robbery drills and role playing scenarios 

Be active in your community. 

There is a valuable source of information available to business owners that often goes unnoticed. That resource is your local community. Residents and other business owners are a great resource to find out the types of crimes that occur in the area. If robberies are happening in residential or business areas, chances are that community members will have that information and will share it with you. 

In addition, staying active in the community and knowing your neighbors can keep you safe. Establishing positive relationships with the people around you can provide you with an unofficial team of lookouts who can alert you to suspicious activity when you are off the premises. 

Install signage. 

A savvy criminal will have staked out your business far in advance of the robbery. They will be on the lookout for signs that you have security measures in place. Make it clear to them that you take security seriously by installing signs that indicate that they are being watched, that there is no cash on the property or that an alarm will sound if doors are opened. 

The right signage can be enough to let a would-be criminal know that they are unlikely to get away with the crime if they attempt it. Also, be sure to have proper lighting so that there are no dark corners where a criminal could hide. Motion detecting lights can be very effective at indicating to a burglar that someone may be watching them.

Hire professional security guards. 

A live security guard is an effective deterrence to a crime, especially a robbery. The presence of a uniformed guard on site shows criminals but they are unlikely to get away with it. The training and knowledge that security guards have can help you identify your vulnerabilities and react competently if a robbery were to occur.

No business is 100% immune to a robbery. Robberies of all kinds can be frightening and seriously impact the morale of your staff and the reputation of your business. As a business owner, there are measures you can take to prevent a robbery. In addition to training your staff and being active in your community, criminal deterrents such as signage and live security guards can help you prevent a crime from taking place.

If you need highly trained and reliable security guards, contact Off Duty Officers today to learn more about our comprehensive and customized security guard solutions for your business.