Everyone loves a bank holiday weekend. With not one but two three-day weekends in May, the opportunities for career criminals to target unstaffed premises are particularly high. Sadly, commercial crime is on the rise in the UK according to the latest figures*. The good news is there are lots of ways for you to boost security ahead of the May bank holidays thanks to ADT’s expert business security tips.

1. It may seem like an obvious starting point but try not to leave cash on the premises if you can help it. Is your till visible from outside? Then it’s a good idea to leave it open and obviously empty.
2. In the run up to bank holidays ask staff to keep a look out for suspicious people or vehicles. They could well be casing your business.
3. If you store stock on-site, make sure it’s not visible from the outside and never leave keys to secure areas on the premises. Ditto for company vehicles left outside – put all car and van keys securely in your safe if you have one, or ideally store them somewhere off-site altogether.
4. One of the best ways to make your premises a less tempting target is to keep blinds or shutters down if you have them. Opportunists are always looking for easy openings.
5. Putting lights on a timer is a great way of giving the impression homes are occupied and it works for commercial properties too.
6. If you have an intruder alarm and it goes off, how confident are you that someone will respond? Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for an alarm to go ignored these days (three quarters of people surveyed admitted to having done just that**). That’s why more and more companies are turning to monitored alarms, ensuring that someone else always has your business’s best interests at heart, ready to alert you to an alarm activation.

With a little extra thought and a few simple steps you can concentrate on making the most of your bank holiday break without worrying about your business. If we’ve made you think more deeply about stepping up security, why not talk to a dedicated business security expert about further ways to protect your livelihood.

*2017 Commercial Victimisation Survey showed 199 burglaries per 1,000 wholesale and retail premises, up from 151 per 1,000 in 2016.
**https://www.buildingconstructiondesign.co.uk/news/three-quarters-of-brits-ignore-burglar-alarms/