The dream of every business is continuous growth in a secure business environment. It is for this reason that more foreign companies find themselves in Ghana.
Unsuspecting criminals attacking you is the worse feeling as a business leader. Ghana Police Service, in the first quarter of 2018 recorded 484 major crimes. A figure it says was highest in comparison to previous years. The data revealed that most cases recorded were from Accra and Ashanti regions.
Businesses are often the target of criminals. In most cases, this is due to office buildings and stores remaining vacant at night. It is vital to ensure the security of your environment is at its utmost best.
In this article, I discuss simple steps you can take to secure your business environment. It highlights ways you can protect your people and your investments.
Let dive in!
The goal of improving or securing your business should be to:
1. Increase the effort required for a criminal to carry out a crime.
2. Increase the risks of an arrest.
3. Reduce the incentive to commit the crime.
4. Reduce any potential reward for the criminal.
These are practical ways you can prevent potential threat of crime on your premises:
Implement Security Plans
The first step in securing your workplace environment like a professional is to document and implement your security plans and policies. Creating and documenting, for instance, an emergency plan prepares your organization to face an active threat or a disaster.
A well laid out security plan conveys the action to be taken during an emergency, like who will make the emergency announcement, and where should everyone go once they leave the building. Additionally, it should cover the steps employees should take if they cannot exit the building during an emergency.
Having such a plan helps to secure your business and ensure the safety of employees when their lives are threatened. Providing a training course on first aid and CPR could also save lives after an incident takes place at the workplace. An emergency escape plan must be included in the employee security training program.
Again, your workplace security plans and policies must incorporate strict employee guidelines in relations to common problems resulting in workplace security breaches. Forbidding alcohol or drugs, banning the use of weapons in a workplace, and having guidelines for bullying and harassment should be clearly conveyed to all the employees. Implementing these policies can help to eliminate many problems in a workplace that leads to security breaches.
2. Assess Security On Your Premises
The next step to achieving your goals is to conduct a full assessment of your premises. Hire a professional security provider to survey your building if you are uncertain. To secure your business, you will need to identify any vulnerable areas of the premises. You should pay attention to the:
● Entry points
● Side/back of premises
● Roof/wall height
● Warehouse/Storage
● loading bay/Car park
Most thieves operate at night when the building is vacant, thus you should access how your environment looks like at night when it is dark. Make sure your entry points are lockable and protected. The roof can be a target for criminals too, especially flat roofs, so you will need to ask yourself whether the roof can be a loop from outside.
In addition, you will want to consider where your valuable equipment and cash are within the premises. Taking measures to move certain equipment or valuables from sight can decrease the likelihood of a break-in or theft, minimizing the attractiveness of the premises to a criminal. Where possible, it is sensible to leave as little money in your store or office overnight.
3. Install Security Features
Once you have assessed your environment or premises and you know where the most vulnerable areas are, you can install the necessary security features. Fix permanent lighting to the exterior of the building to deter crimes, and for added security, you could fix a modern alarm system and install CCTV cameras. Signage ‘Warnings’ alerting intruders to your alarm system or CCTV can often be enough to put criminals off.
You can install some practical security measures when it comes to entry points such as having a man guard post. Make sure that all locks are strong and secure. Consider having shutters or grilles fitted over the main entrances and/or large windows. These will not only prevent access but also block the view into the premises, disguising any valuables.
4. Provide Security Training For Your Staff
Ensure there is adequate security training for your staff. Everyone under your duty of care needs to know what to do in the event of a serious threat. For instance, it is better to give up goods or cash than getting hurt trying to defend it.
When training your employees you must first tune their mindset on security issues. Let them know the importance and benefits of maintaining a secured work environment. Training courses help employees to develop a better understanding of the potential threats they may encounter on a daily basis and how they should respond to such threats. Your security training must cover the basics;
- Recognizing suspicious behaviour.
- Writing and reporting a crime.
- Security assessment
- Safety procedures
5. Do Regular Security Assessment
The security you put in place today might not be effective in a few years. So, to avoid threats, make sure to have physical security assessment on a bi-annual basis from a security expert.
A security expert or consultant can identify changes in the environment, help you update technology and practices, which are needed to facelift existing physical security measures. Be proactive in doing regular checks of your security instalments. For best practices, carry out regular spot-checks. In checking, be keen on:
1. Strength of locks
2. Alarms and cameras maintenance
3. Look out for vulnerability
Your Turn,
Are there tips you will love to share with other readers? Which of the steps will you put in place immediately? In securing your workplace, what worked and what didn’t?
Global Sky Africa is your ‘Total IT Security Solutions’ for all your business and residence security issues. We offer security consultancy, training, and a wide range of security products including CCTV, fire detectors, alarms, tracking devices, man guard services among others.
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