Although most businesses regard the holiday season as one of the biggest opportunities for their business, the same can be said for thieves. Because of the rush that the holiday season provides, businesses are much less likely to pay attention to each and every individual that comes shopping in their store. Many businesses report the highest levels of theft during the holiday season, which can present a very serious problem to businesses that are not prepared for the holiday rush. For businesses that are looking for the utmost security during the holiday season in order to minimize theft and overall loss prevention, there are few steps that can be taken to better your overall security and ensure that you put together an excellent holiday security plan that saves a lot of time and money in the long run. Take the following steps into account when you are looking at how you can go about stepping up your holiday security, and minimize losses overall.
Identify Theft Risk
One consideration that needs to be taken into account is for you to identify the largest theft risks at your location. Does your store carry a hot ticket item that could potentially entice some individuals to steal it? If you have a limited number of a specific item available that is high in price and very sought after during the holiday season, you may want to take additional steps to secure it. These steps can include installing sensors on the items, or simply ensuring that you have cameras pointed to the items in question.
Identifying which items are going to present the biggest risk of theft is a very important part of the process of securing your place of business. Additionally, if your business hires security guards, stationing them in the areas in which you believe present the biggest risk of that can help to deter individuals from attempting to steal those items. You need to make sure that you identify theft risks well in advance of the holidays, so that you can make the necessary changes to reduce theft risk, and ensure that you have properly prepared for the holiday season.
Test Equipment
It is of the utmost importance that you ensure that you are able to test your equipment in order to be sure of its effectiveness prior to the holiday season. Make sure that all video cameras and other security checks are working properly. Also take into consideration that thieves will be aware of the fact that you are going to be increasing inventory for the holiday season, and this may make your business a target for break-ins and theft in the middle of the night as well. Make sure that your door locks, and other security measures are in place and running without issue prior to the holiday season in order to protect your business. Run in-depth checks, and refer to the documentation of items in order to ensure that you get the best possible service.
Internet Based IP-Video
Another worthwhile precaution that you could consider is the implementation of IP video. IP video systems are Internet-based, and often provide many benefits over CCTV, or closed-circuit television connections. The security systems are typically powered over an ethernet cable, making the cameras easier to hide from the general public. With IP video, you can view live and also previously recorded video from smart phone, laptop, or anywhere in which you have an Internet connection. This makes it easy for you to monitor your business when you are not there, and you can even hire other individuals to watch the tape for you. Internet-based IP video is a great way for you to ensure that you are always able to keep an eye on your business, even when you are not able to be present.
With IP video, you can consistently monitor your business, watching for theft, and determining what changes need to be made in order for you to tighten up your security. IP security systems have become increasingly popular in recent years, because of the features and benefits that they provide.
Higher Resolutions
Another thing that needs to be taken into consideration is going to be the resolution of the video that you are capturing. Oftentimes, a theft will be caught on video, but the resolution of the video was not enough to properly identify the thieves. In situations such as this, business owners are often left wishing that they had made larger investments in their security set up. Being able to properly identify if these situations will require higher resolution images than are provided by the lowest quality of CCTV cameras will help you to decide when the right time to invest is. Generally, IP video cameras are going to be much higher resolution and higher quality, making it easier for you to identify not only when a theft is occurring, but also who may be responsible for that theft.
If you have an old, outdated security system that is of better use as a deterrent rather than a high resolution video camera, you may want to look into upgrading before the holiday season kicks off. Being able to accurately see all of the different areas and individuals within your store will not only provide you with peace of mind, but will also ensure that your business is safe throughout the high theft holiday season.
Video Recorders
It is also important that you consider purchasing a network video recorder. Much like a digital video recorder for a television set, a network video recorder will allow you to store video for several days or months depending upon the storage size that is offered by the recorder, allowing you to look back through weeks of video evidence. In the past, this would have required many VHS tapes and ongoing monitoring and filing away of these tapes, but today video recorders can allow you to look through thousands of hours of recorded video, in order to properly identify potential criminals and thieves. A network video recorder is an excellent purchase for anyone that is looking to properly secure their premises and make sure that they are able to identify criminals that steal from them.
