The festive season is just around the corner, and many shops and businesses are decked out in their finest, attracting not just customers but burglars and vandals, too. The festive season also sees high in-store traffic, and retailers prepare to meet demand by stocking up on inventories worth thousands of pounds, leaving their properties at higher risk of theft.
Moreover, many stores and businesses are closed during Christmas and New Year’s for an extended period, making them an easy target for vandals and thieves.
To help commercial properties avoid security risks, we’ve shared some invaluable Christmas security tips, from ensuring doors are locked correctly to installing security cameras and training employees.
Common Security Concerns During Holidays
Some common commercial property risks during Christmas and New Year’s are:
- Burglaries
- Break-ins
- Vandalism
- Fires
- Weather-related issues
6 Christmas Crime Prevention Tips for When Businesses Are Closed
Check the Lights
The best way to deter crime and keep criminals at bay is to keep your premises well-lit. Thieves and vandals take advantage of dark or dimly-lit areas, so by keeping your premises’ exterior lights on, you can help prevent the risk of Christmas burglary. Moreover, installing security cameras inside and outside the building will help deter and detect intruders.
Make sure you have lights on both the front and back entrances and exits. For an added layer of security, you can leave lights on in the windows.
Ensure Doors Lock Properly
Keeping all doors properly locked is one of the most important Christmas security tips to follow when your business closes for the festive season. Locking every door and window will keep criminals away while additionally protecting your business against any natural disasters, such as flooding.
Winters in the UK are often known for extreme weather conditions such as strong winds and heavy rainfall. If your business premises don’t have well-maintained doors, they can be easily damaged by both criminals and an unfavourable climate.
Contact us at Doorway Services to install new doors or maintain your existing automatic doors before closing for the festive season.
Other essential winter security tips for your business include installing weatherstripping around doors and adding glass break sensors that alert you if the glass breaks or cracks due to damage.
Install New Dane Shutters
Dane shutters offer heavy-duty security while keeping your business looking professional. These shutters are preferable to roll-on shutters, as they can be added in front of the glass without spoiling the external appearance of your store.
If you have a festive display in your windows and feel roller shutters will spoil the look, adding Dane shutters is one of our top security tips for Christmas closing. At Doorway Services, we can help you install Dane shutters for your commercial space.
Install Security Cameras
Are you worried about commercial property risks, such as theft, during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays? Among the best Christmas crime prevention tips is to install security cameras around the premises. Don’t forget to install cameras at the back of the premises – one of the property’s most vulnerable areas.
In 2021, Christmas burglaries cost the UK £7.8 million, and this figure has been rising over the years. CCTV cameras not only help deter thieves but can also act as evidence in criminal cases or insurance claims. Make sure there is enough light at entrances and exits so that the footage captured is clear.
Review Your Insurance
Another one of our Christmas security tips is to ensure your business’s insurance policies are updated. Although this task might be at the bottom of your to-do list while busy managing a business, it’s essential.
Before closing your commercial premises for the festive break, make sure your policies are in order. If an accident happens and you need to make a claim and discover that your insurance has expired, it can further complicate the process. This is why it’s best to cover all bases in advance.
Keep in mind that you can insure physical business premises, inventory, and even intellectual property.
Train Your Employees
It’s important to train your employees on security, share Christmas crime prevention tips, and ensure they carry these out. This can include training them on correctly locking the doors, shutters, and windows and the best way to check for fires or attempted break-ins.
You can also hire security guards or request employees to volunteer their time to check on the business once in a while when the property is closed.
Another good practice to avoid commercial property risks is to avoid lone worker lockups. Having two people close the building at the same time can help protect them from opportunistic vandals while double-checking that locks are properly secured.
Contact Doorway Services For Maintenance and Installation of Doors and Shutters
With the festive season around the corner, it’s important to adopt these Christmas security tips to protect your business and its assets.
If you’re looking to install new doors and shutters or maintain existing ones, the professionals at Doorway Services are here to help.
You can trust our team to provide you with customised and end-to-end solutions, from installation, maintenance, and repair of your automatic doors and Dane shutters.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.
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