RiskUKOctober2017

Leave No Stone Unturned
Autumn’s now upon
us. With the nights
already drawing in
and the festive season
only just around the
corner, incidents
involving commercial
burglaries are already
on the rise. Dan Hardy
seeks to identify the
scale of the problem
and, indeed, the
underlying reasons for
commercial burglary
before offering some
timely advice about
what businesses
across all vertical
sectors can do to
prevent themselves
from becoming the
unfortunate victims
Commercial burglary is a year-round
problem, but one that peaks from October
onwards with the darker evenings. It’s a
time of the year when retailers have more
stock, there’s a higher density of people on the
High Street and commercial premises are busier
(as a result of which members of staff might not
be as vigilant as at other times). All of the
above serves to increase the overall risk profile.
Feedback from members of the National
Business Crime Solution (NBCS) suggests that,
so far in 2017, commercial burglary has
increased from between 22% and 55% across
the NBCS’ membership when compared to the
same period last year. Even though this is by no
means a definitive figure, it does suggest that
this type of nefarious activity is a growing trend
and that those with malicious intent in mind
view commercial premises as being vulnerable.
When considering the impact of a commercial
burglary, it’s tempting to focus solely on the
items stolen. However, the true cost of this type
of crime is more far-reaching and can
encompass property damage and repair, loss of
trade, customer dissatisfaction, management
time in dealing with the issue and colleague
time in terms of labour. Then there are the nonfiscal
issues to consider such as reputational
damage and the fact that employees might feel
less safe when carrying out their duties.
Opportunist or planned
Commercial burglaries tend to fall into one of
two types: opportunist or planned. In the
former, an individual will often enter through an
unlocked or non-secured door or window,
tempted by the sight of unprotected stock or
perhaps a laptop or smart phone that’s easily
accessible. In the latter, a level of planning and
hostile reconnaissance will take place. Burglars
will often have a co-ordinated strategy (a recent
high-profile example being the burglary
perpetrated on the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit
Company in London).
With so many variables involved,
organisations must carry out a risk and threat
assessment to ensure that they’re in the best
position possible to deal with any real or
perceived danger, which can then help in
developing a corporate security policy and
strategy document. Undertaking an in-depth
analysis of an organisation’s activities,
premises and facilities means that the risks can
be fully understood and acted upon. Just as
importantly, regular reviews of existing security
programmes and measures are necessary to
maintain adequate safeguards.
The sharing of data/intelligence through
collaboration should never be underestimated.
A centralised intelligence hub for both the
police and the business community is starting
to connect crimes which would have
traditionally been seen as being independent.
Know your onions
Businesses must do all they can to protect
themselves, yet all-too-often they’re failing to
secure their premises. Rather than trying to
cover all elements at once, the best way in
which to approach any security strategy is to
treat it like an onion with different layers. It’s
also worth pointing out that, while much of
what should be considered appears to be
obvious, it’s surprising just how often ignoring
one of these seemingly innocuous factors can
offer burglars an opportunity.
The first layer of the process is to look at a
building’s exterior and identify any vulnerable
areas. It’s also worth reaching out to
neighbouring companies to share Best Practice
and help each other spot any weaknesses or
suspicious behaviour. Talking can often act as a
prompt to address an issue.
A building’s exterior should also be clean, so
graffiti must be cleaned off, rubbish removed
and overgrown vegetation trimmed so as not to
obscure CCTV and reduce the effectiveness of
lighting. Bins must be kept out of sight as they
could serve as a climbing aid, and particularly
so for access to low-level windows.
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