For commercial property owners and managers, the world might seem a bit threatening. According to FBI crime statistics (from 2016) non-residential burglaries were up 2.6 percent, to 412,743. Also, according to a story in Science Daily, alarm trade industry research indicated that 31 percent of experienced burglars targeted commercial properties.

Hopefully, your office building, retail store, or other commercial property was not included in the above stats. If you hope to continue to remain off these and other similar statistical lists (or never be included in them again), there are number of things you can do right now.

Some tips include some infrastructure related precautions, such as installing lights and surveillance cameras in key spots. They can also include hiring security, adopting a guard dog, and ensuring all vulnerable locations (such as windows) are always illuminated and secured when the property is vacant. Don’t forget to consider about top notch alarm and surveillance systems.

Here are a few more stats and ideas.

Paying Attention To Your Employees

Security best practices must also include one’s own employees. This problem may be bigger than you realize. According to one Business News Daily article, a whopping 64 percent of small businesses were victimized by their own employees (typically, the main article stolen being cash). Yet, for various reasons, only 16 percent of these thefts ever were reported.

Naturally, you must ensure your employees don’t have unauthorized access to computer systems or restricted physical locations. If an employee leaves (willingly or otherwise), the information technology manager should revoke that person’s credentials to the computer system.

In the world of CRE, that person may retain door keys, or know the security codes to building access systems, or even the combination of the company safe. According to the ScienceDaily article, one out of eight burglars enter a property by either picking the lock or using a key previously acquired.

So even if the employee has left on the best of terms (or so you think), it’s wise to be cautious. 

Don’t Create Hiding Spots

A revealing statistic from the FBI is that in 2016 non-residential locations were burglarized at night 178,470 times (up 6 percent from 2015). Daytime burglaries were somewhat fewer: 142,631 (with 91,642 burglaries committed in time unknown). This indicates that thieves prefer the cover of darkness.

Consider installing lights in strategic areas both inside and outside the property — at the entrances, in garages, etc. As a green gesture, you can attach motion sensors, triggered only by someone’s presence. You should also consider the physical lay of the land about your property. Large trees or bushes near the entrances can provide shelter to would be burglars. Keep the decorations to shrubs near the entrances and make sure these remain trimmed.

An Alarm System Always Helps

Interestingly, the most experienced and capable burglars have a methodology behind their crimes:  They don’t like risk. So, taking some relatively visible precautions will discourage them. According to ScienceDaily, some 83 percent of convicted burglars (from a pool of 400) claimed to investigate a property for an alarm before robbing it. Of that number, 60 percent said that the presence of an onsite alarm would be enough for them to pick another target.

 Half of the burglars admitted they would stop an intrusion if they discovered an alarm, even when mid-way through. So, it’s a wise move to install surveillance cameras in places where would-be burglars will see them. It’s also smart to install an alarm system (preferably integrated with sophisticated monitoring solutions), and advertise these systems are present.

This way, you’ll reduce the risk of becoming the wrong sort of statistic even more.

Next Steps

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