Criminal Activity Rises During the Holiday Season
‘Tis the season for holiday security. From Labor Day (September 5) to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 16), the major holiday season occurs and during this time many stores receive a major influx of customers, of goods, and often, an increase of security efforts.
With a major increase in deals and shopping holidays like Black Friday around the corner, many stores will unfortunately see an increase in criminal activity as well. This is due to many criminals taking advantage of the increase in activity within a store, which can make it harder for security cameras and other forms of security to identify these persons before they leave the store. Whether you are a small business owner, apartment complex manager, retail property owners, shopping center directors, or other professionals that oversee the foundation of security for a property, it is important to remember that extra security ultimately pays for itself. While it is the season for holiday security, it is also the season to remember that your site and assets may be at their most vulnerable.
In this article, a study shows that during the holiday season, crimes increase by at least 20%. This can be avoided with an iron-clad security plan, an increase in physical security, and protocols that are put in place to ensure an efficient and safe environment.
Avoid Holiday Crime with a Solid Security Plan
When preparing for the holiday season, there are a few steps to incorporate into the security protocol to ensure the safety of your visitors and customers, your employees and the safety of your store.
Ensuring Total Visibility
The first step is to make sure that there is total visibility within the store at all times. With many holidays steadily approaching, a common way to celebrate and enhance the store is to incorporate decorations. While decorations are a great way to create a welcoming atmosphere, they can also be harmful if not set up properly. It is vital to make sure that all decorations are not blocking any visible security points in the store, or any entrances/exits/vulnerable areas that the property/store/site may have. This is important, as potential criminals will assess the area and will note that your security systems are vulnerable in some areas. This can lead to more theft or more suspicious activity on the premises, which is something that can be easily avoided.
Crafting a Detailed Security Plan
The next step is creating a solid security plan for holiday security services. While guards from a professional security guard company are trained in many different areas to watch, patrol, and more for their clients, any specific site instructions need to be provided in detail to the security guard police officers. This includes a list of access points and exits that security can monitor. But also to provide information incase of any incident, where security can escort persons off the property in a safe manner. There are many reports of incidents and casualties during the Black Friday shopping season, and to avoid any mass panic or issues, providing insight to security and a safety plan that can be enacted during times of stress is vital for a smoothly functioning holiday shopping season. Understanding that crime will increase during the holiday season and adjusting your stores entrances, exits, lighting, physical security, and security systems are all crucial to a successful, secure holiday season.
Enhancing Physical Security Measures
The next step to providing a safer and more secure holiday shopping season is to incorporate physical security into the store and property perimeters. Whether you are hiring unarmed security guards to patrol the aisles with high levels of traffic, or armed security guards to patrol at night where goods and assets are at their most vulnerable, increasing physical security creates an aspect of control and safety that all visitors, customers, and employees will appreciate.
Well-Lit Parking Areas for Added Security
Lastly, maintaining well-lit and secure parking areas is crucial during busy shopping hours to prevent potential theft and create a sense of safety for customers, employees, and visitors. With a larger influx of shoppers then usual, more and more parking lot areas will be in use and during these hours of shopping, potential theft can occur if the parking lot is not properly secured and well-lit. Maintenance of a parking lot may seem like an odd requirement for security. but a well-maintained parking area will guarantee that customers, employees, and visitors feel safe to leave their belongings alone to enjoy their shopping experience.
Emphasizing Visibility and Safety During the Holidays
With these steps in mind, it is always the most important to remember that visibility and safety is key during times of high traffic volume in any storefront, property, or area. Securing the premises of the property, providing security details for the property, and guaranteeing that the security is professional and well-trained is a sure way to lower crime, theft, and potential incidents from happening.
Choose The Guard Alliance for Security this Holiday Season
Ensure a safe and secure holiday season for your business, property, or event by partnering with The Guard Alliance. With our expert security guard services, you can trust that your visitors, customers, and assets are protected. Our professional security officers are rigorously trained, screened, and equipped to handle any security challenges that may arise during this busy time. Whether you need unarmed guards to maintain a welcoming atmosphere or armed guards for added deterrence, we have the right solution for you. With our customized security plans, attention to detail, and commitment to providing the highest level of protection, you can rest assured that your holiday season will be worry-free. Request a free quote or call us today to learn more about our top-notch security services and make this holiday season a safe and successful one.
