What to do if you become a victim of business crime

Whether you’re a small market trader or a large multinational company, there’s a good chance that at some point you may become a victim of business crime. In 2014 alone there were 13,070 cases of business crime reported in the wholesale and retail sectors, with 41% of businesses reporting that they had been a victim of some kind of crime. Therefore, with the risk of becoming a victim of business crime ever present, it’s important that you’re well equipped to deal with this scenario and know what to do following an act of crime against your business.

Step 1 – Don’t touch anything
Although you might be tempted to assess the damage yourself, for example by opening safes and checking for entrance points, this can be counterproductive and often greatly reduce the chances of catching the perpetrator. Although some criminals will wear gloves, not all of them do and valuable evidence such as strands of hair, fingerprints and skin cells can be left behind, all of which can be used to catch the person who committed the crime and make a case against them. It is therefore vital that you let the police investigators do their job. If you find anything that you think might have been left behind by the criminal(s), you shouldn’t pick it up. Instead, bring it to the attention of investigators.

Step 2 – File a police report
Although it might not seem like a top priority at the time, it’s advisable to file a police report as soon as possible, within 24 hours if you can. This way your memory will still be fresh from the incident and will likely make the process of claiming through your insurance company much easier. Be sure to collect a detailed list of everything that’s missing or broken and take pictures of the affected areas for further evidence.

Step 3 – Restore your business
It is important to try and restore normality within your business as soon as possible. It can be an emotional time, but know that the attack was probably not anything personal and most likely motivated by financial gain. Getting the business back up and running as quickly as possible will not only reduce further loss of income, but will give your customers and suppliers confidence in you and may also help your staff start to feel more comfortable and relaxed as day to day life within the workplace is restored.

Step 4 - Take action
Take a look at your business from an outside perspective and ask yourself some tough questions. How was it that your business became a victim? How did the criminals get into the premises? What are the areas in which your security is lacking? And perhaps most crucially, what do you need to implement to ensure this does not happen again?

Criminals that have been successful in targeting a particular business in the past are more likely to go back to commit similar crimes. Failing to take action after break-ins and robberies is a sure fire way to increase your chances of repeat crime. At Gateway we offer a wide range of different security features designed to stop business crime. These include:

• Barriers
• Gates
• Turnstiles
• Access control equipment
• Flow control plates
• Security posts
• Speed ramps
• Automatic rising kerbs
• Crash tested road blockers
• Bollards

Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, we can provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security requirements. For more information on any of the security options above, or for further advice on how to protect your business premises from criminals, please contact us here.