By They say that the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes, so you should be very cautious about any security system or commercial security installer that guarantees your business complete protection from theft. There is no such thing as perfect, theft-proof security, but that doesn’t mean that commercial security systems are superfluous. Think of them like safety belts and airbags in cars. Even with those safety measures in place, there are still automobile fatalities every day—but airbags and other safety measures greatly reduce your likelihood of death or serious injury in the event of a car crash, just as commercial security systems act as a deterrent to theft.
Even Fort Knox in Kentucky, where the United States Bullion Depository is held, is constantly updating its security systems. Why? Because they have something worth protecting, and they’re serious about theft deterrence. Your business has something to protect, too—from cash and assets to inventory, merchandise, equipment, and employees—which means that you want to be sure you invest in a security system that deters thieves and reduces the likelihood of theft.
While many people associate security systems with banks and big offices, the fact of the matter is that theft is a concern for businesses of every type and every size. In fact, according to US Census data from 2010, commercial buildings experienced 46,000 offenses of robbery, in which an average of $1,774 was stolen per instance. That’s compared to only 18,000 offenses among convenience stores and 7,000 offenses among banks. Meanwhile, commercial buildings experienced 407,000 offenses of burglary, with an average of $2,521 stolen per offense. And that’s only taking into account thefts from external sources, not internal theft from employees, which costs businesses 590% more than losses from shoplifting.
Commercial theft deterrents can help protect against both external thefts and employee thefts, and can be as simple as warning stickers and signs or as complex as multi-camera systems with DVR backups, motion sensors, premise access control, and more. Commercial security systems do more than deter theft, they can also help to keep your employees safe from crimes or other dangers that might occur within your office or retail store. With organized retail crime on the rise and over 96% of businesses reporting that they’ve been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year, your business can’t afford to be without protection.
In the end, a good security system, installed by a commercial security installer, is almost as essential to your business as lights and running water. While you can’t prepare for or prevent everything, you can arm your business or retail store with the security system you need to help deter crime and theft.