Small business premises across the uk regularly face a wide variety of risks from crime. These risks vary from shop theft, break-ins and criminal damage to those faced by members of staff (including intimidation, verbal abuse and threats of physical violence).

Research carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has shown that 58% of small commercial concerns fall victim to crime each year, with those businesses located in urban areas twice as likely as their rural counterparts to have experienced assaults on either the owner or members of staff.

The FSB report – entitled ‘Cracking Business Crime’ – includes a number of recommendations directly relevant to security issues. On the topic of crime prevention and physical security, the report states that:

business owners must take responsibility for the physical security of their premises;

  • planning regulations relating to crime prevention measures must be relaxed so that businesses can actively protect their buildings;
  • security and crime prevention measures must be disaggregated from the rateable value of a property, and in no way should that process lead to higher business rates;
  • 100% first year tax relief must be afforded for demonstrable investment in security.

Prioritising business security

The BSIA has long encouraged businesses to prioritise the security of their premises, and is fully supportive of the FSB’s call for dispensations to encourage investment.

It is an awareness of the challenges facing smaller businesses – and in particular the smaller, independent retailers – which gave rise to the launch of Raid-control in 2002.

As many of SMT’s readers will be aware, this is a crime reduction initiative supported by the police service, the British Security Industry Association and the British Retail Consortium (‘Under Raid-control’, SMT, April 2003, pp31-32). Raid-control consists of a package of measures including staff training in raid awareness, the use of time delay systems, cash minimisation, the installation of CCTV systems and ensuring that stolen cash is traceable.

The initiative is facilitated through crime prevention officers who provide certification to the Raid-control standard. Back in 2002, it was piloted in 19 pharmacies across Croydon in response to a spate of violent robberies. Since then, there have been no robberies in any of those pharmacies. This is a fabulous outcome.

The Raid-control initiative has now been rolled out nationwide, with its most recent success story occurring in Stockport. Here, since the beginning of last year 41 premises have been certificated to Raid-control standards. Robbery in those outlets has now been reduced by an impressive 87%.

Raid-control is available through a number of police services across the UK. For more information visit www.raid-control.org or contact DC Alan Townsend on (tel) 020 7230 3729. A detailed feature on the Stockport Raid-control programme will appear in next month’s edition of Security Management Today. n

Source

SMT