The COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold misery across the globe for the families who have lost loved ones, the workers who have lost their jobs and the businesses that have lost huge chunks of revenue. As well as the tragic human cost, the cost to businesses has also been significant. Not only has the pandemic seen revenue streams completely dry up, but it has also caused a rise in crime and theft. Thieves who are at home on the internet have thrived in particular. Many are hacking into servers and rerouting payments as most businesses now have to operate online.
However, break-ins are also on the rise. As vacant properties are left open, sometimes with valuable stock left inside, burglars have sniffed out the opportunity for theft. This means that business owners should look to find new ways to better protect their businesses and livelihoods.
Here, we take a detailed look at ways that you can protect your stock while your property is vacant during lockdowns, covering storage containers and much more.
Keep Your High-Value Stock In Storage Containers While Your Shop Is Closed
With COVID-19 continuing to cause havoc across the world, and with no signs of it stopping anytime soon, you must protect yourself, your business and your assets now. Especially if you sell, courier or handle high-value items that could be the target of crime, like tech or jewellery, it’s important to keep them safe and secure. With revenues being hit already, these sorts of attacks can be the final nail in the coffin for businesses.
To prevent theft, hiring a storage container is a great way to protect your stock. These steel containers are highly secure, sturdy, robust and weatherproof. Using storage containers for some of your highest value stock can protect you, should the worst-case scenario happen. You would hope you will never have to use them, but you simply never know. Being prepared for a threat and active about it is always better than being reactive.
Improve Your Security With Smart CCTV
Installing CCTV is one of the most tried and tested ways of improving security at a shop or other commercial property. CCTV cameras act as both a deterrent and an evidence-gathering tool to assist the police. When your shop is vacant for long periods with your stock still inside, it’s even more important that you bolster security measures.
Smart CCTV cameras are uniquely beneficial for business owners with vacant shops as they can connect to your smartphone or central hub device. This means that you’ll have constant access to footage from the cameras and can be quick to react if there is a break-in or disturbance near a commercial property. By providing a visual deterrent to ward off potential burglars and a means of apprehending them if they do get away with anything, you can better protect your stock from the threat of criminals.
Hire a Physical Presence
Hiring physical security guards to watch over your shop can be expensive, but their professional experience is often unmatched. They will notice any suspicious signs before they lead to a crime, act as a physical deterrent and can apprehend criminals and pass them over to the police. Physical security is the most tried and tested security system of them all, and there’s a reason why they’re still so popular for retailers, supermarkets and other high street shops.
Invest in a Safe
If you have a range of high-value items, you should invest in a safe anyway. If you don’t feel the need to move your entire range of stock into storage with storage containers, you may instead choose to pick out selected high-value items and keep them in a secure safe. By doing so, you can protect yourself from crime during the pandemic as well as when high-street commerce starts up again. Kept either in your home or in a secure location in your commercial property, safe’s provide excellent-quality security.
Install Metal Shutter Doors
If you know that you’re not going to be back in your shop again for some time and you’d like to keep peeking eyes out of the shop windows, installing metal shutter doors can help. These shutters provide a secure and solid barrier to entry. Coupled with other security systems like CCTV, a physical presence and a safe for high-value items, you can ensure there are numerous protections against a break-in. By ensuring there is more than one barrier to entry for any burglar looking to breach your building, you can buy valuable time so that you can report a disturbance and the criminal should, hopefully, be apprehended in time.
Consider Monitored Alarm Systems
Monitored alarm systems are like traditional alarms, which blare out a high-pitched wail when triggered, but they’re also monitored by a team of security professionals. The monitors of these alarms let the relevant authorities know when an alarm has been tripped, speeding up their arrival time and reducing the chance that the criminals can get away with anything. Combined with evidence-gathering technology like CCTV, these alarms are highly effective. Not only do they work for apprehension, but they are also an effective deterrent. By placing them in a visible location, you can warn off criminals from attempting to gain entry into your property.
Signage To Deter Would-Be Criminals
Keeping people aware that no high-value items are left in your shop overnight is a simple way of protecting yourself from theft. Breaking into a shop or building is no easy feat, and criminals aren’t going to want to risk themselves for a shop that has nothing in it! Simply letting people know that everything has been emptied, CCTV is in operation and any trespassers will be reported to the police can be effective.
Use Access Control For High-Value Item Areas
If you usually keep high-value items in another room within your shop anyway, then adding a high-security access control system to the door is a great way to boost the security further. These systems restrict access for anyone without a fob or security code. With a robust door and lock system, as well as access control, you can ensure that an entire area of your property is secured and protected against the threat of theft or burglary.
If You Require Storage Containers To Protect Your Assets in Manchester, Contact Manchester Cabins
Here at Manchester Cabins, we’re one of the most well-renowned temporary building and storage container suppliers in Manchester and The North West. Whether you require a portable loo, jackleg cabins or storage containers for your business, we can help. Working with companies in the construction industry, as well as with homeowners looking to safely store their belongings, we have a wide range of experience.
We aim to make our service as easy and simple as possible and always endeavour to provide an excellent level of customer service. If you need a storage container delivered to your home or business, we can help. We’ve been working in the community since 1979 and we’re family-owned. For an affordable, reliable and cost-effective service in Manchester and the surrounding area, look no further.
To find out more about our services, please feel free to contact us today. You can find us at Tweedale Way, Chadderton, Oldham, Lancashire, OL9 7LD. Alternatively, call us on 0161 684 3333 or email us at info@manchestercabins.co.uk.
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