With a bit of thought and preparation, you can significantly
reduce opportunities for criminals to break into your business.
Help us endeavour to put the robber out of business.
The Constabulary actively encourages you to take the
precautionary measures such as:
- Be aware of people loitering near your premises.
- Be suspicious of people in vehicles watching the premises,
particularly this happens more than once
- Be alert for the unusual:
- People showing unreasonable interest in security or staff
numbers.
- Groups of people who would not be expected to shop
together.
- People asking to see high-value items who appear unlikely to
afford or purchase them.
- Nervous people.
- Check the identity of non-customer visitors: alarm engineers,
surveyors, etc.
- Ring the organisations they claim to represent before allowing
access.
- Encourage staff to think critically about weaknesses in
security and discuss them with management.
- Seek advice from specialist insurers and brokers.
Log suspicious persons, events of vehicles and their
registrations and record descriptions of people you find
suspicious. Criminals may be less disguised at this stage than
during a hold-up.
- Ensure visibility is maintained by not obstructing your
window
- Don’t obscure your line of vision with high shelving units or
displays.
- Ensure that your premises are well lit, inside and
outside.
Criminals do not like to work in areas where they think they can
be easily seen and identified.
- Ensure your CCTV cameras, television monitor and appropriate
signage are clearly visible to the public.
- Ensure internal shelving, displays or advertising does NOT
obstruct CCTV cameras.
Keeping your cash safe
- Keep as little cash as possible on the premises with a minimum
in each till.
- It is unwise to count cash within anyone else’s view.
- Locating the tills away from entrance/exit doors lessens
vulnerability to till snatches.
- Transfer excess cash to somewhere safe — you don’t need large
notes in the till.
- Restrict access to the rear of counters by always securing
lockable doors and counter flaps.
If large amounts of cash need to be banked or collected on a
regular basis, then the safest method is to employ a recognised
cash carrying company.
Security Equipment
Plastic till guards: A cheap but effective way
to prevent till snatches
Smoke and dye money pack systems: Designed to
emit coloured smoke and spoil cash which has been stolen.
Pneumatic cash transfer system: An air powered
tube system to convey cash to a secure area or safe.
External access safes: Where cash collection
companies can supply or take away cash without the need to enter
the premises.
Counter cache(s): Lockable metal containers,
which can be kept close to the till. They are intended for the
temporary holding of bank notes before transfer to the safe or
bank.
Anti-bandit or bullet resistant glass and fast-rising
screens: Fitted at all till points or pay kiosks, these
offer the cashier protection and are a significant deterrent.
Time-delay safes: Secure and only possible to
open after a pre-set time, these safes will keep any cash not in
the till, or not yet banked, safe from all but the most determined
robbers.
Raid Control
Cheshire Constabulary supports Raid-Control, a national crime
reduction initiative that aims to raise security standards in
retail premises, thereby reducing the potential for commercial
robbery and creating safer working environments.
To achieve Raid-Control accreditation, retailers need to
complete five standards: have staff trained in raid awareness, have
cash management systems in place, have time delay systems in use,
have camera(s) in operation and to make sure stolen cash is
traceable using money staining equipment.
For more information, please go to www.raid-control.org