13.1    The Basics of Security

The idea with security is to create
a safe working and shopping environment for everybody that
enters your store.

However, you must also think about the safety and
security of the store when you are closed and this must be factored into your plans before you open the doors for
the very first time.

When it comes to employing security in your store,
you can have external cameras, internal cameras, alarm systems, tags on products
that set off alarms, and of course security staff that are trained and professional when dealing with these
kinds of situations.

However, the level of security that you require
will depend on the type of store that you are running, and we will examine some examples to see the difference that security can make.

A clothes store

When it comes to the basic security for a clothing store, if it is an external building rather than in a centre, then certain security procedures
have to be in place for the sake of your insurance and general well-being.

For example

The building itself has to be alarmed and this is
the absolute basic type of security that you should have in place. Furthermore, most clothing stores
will tend to have some kind of security feature to protect the windows and the main door whether it be roller
shutters or metal grills. Inside, there will
be internal security
cameras linked to a hard drive and computer in the back office where
images are stored. Finally,
some clothing stores
will make sure that their
products have security
tags on them to reduce the chances of somebody being
able to steal
the items.

A food store

A food store is going to be slightly different in
its approach. There will be a need for internal security cameras to capture
any images that may show an individual seeking to steal
something.Furthermore, there will be security guards in place
to deal with anybody stealing items rather than leaving this to other members
of staff who may not be adequately trained to deal with the situation.

Finally, expensive items may be behind counters to
reduce the chances of them being stolen, or security tags can also be applied
if the store is of a big enough size to justify
the expense.

Jewels or high value items

When it comes to a store that mainly focuses
on high value items, then security is going to becomE even more prominent because of what is at risk and
also what would be expected from you by your insurance company. In some
instances, it is not unusual for guards to be on the door and a limited number of people to be allowed in the
store at any given time.

These kinds of stores will have state
of the art security systems
in place that go above
and beyond the normal
kind of security
you would expect
in a store. The glass
in the windows will be special
glass. The doors will be reinforced. The external and internal cameras will be
specialised and record from every
conceivable angle. There will be panic buttons installed that will
automatically call the police if they
are pressed. In other words, security in certain stores will take on an
entirely different idea and it all
depends on what it is that you are selling.

13.2    The Types of Security Needed in Store

We mentioned insurance earlier on in this module
and it is worth talking about it once again because your insurance company can
often dictate the kind of security that you should have in place simply because
of the danger that they feel your store is in.

Now, this can involve a specialist being sent out
to assess your situation and to advise you on what they would expect as a minimum and it is best to take notice of
this as it will not only reduce your premiums, but it may be the difference between
you being covered
and not being
covered at all.

First, we need to think about the building
itself.

However, even in this instance you should be
looking at roller shutter doors to close off the main door and an internal alarm system may also be employed.

The problem comes when you are dealing with a
building that is external. With this, you should always have an alarm system that takes into account both the
front door and delivery door at the back so that each part is protected to a high enough standard.
Furthermore, it is also useful to have security cameras fixed at key points to record movements and this can really help to boost the
overall safety of your entire store.

When looking at alarm systems, there are various
sensors and alarms that can be used and you are advised to seek the help of professional fitters who can tell
you what would be best for your store. The
placement of CCTV cameras will also be something that you need to discuss with
an expert because they can advise you
of blind spots that need to be covered due to the risk of it providing a safe haven for people stealing something.
This does mean that you have to take this into account when you are dealing with the layout of your store.

However, over and above all of this is the need to have security
guards in place as this can
ultimately reduce the amount of money that you end up having to pay with your
premiums. The number of guards that you need to have in place will all depend
on your store, how big it is, the location,
and of course what you are selling. You will be able to get some advice on what
is seen as being adequate in your situation.

The Basics
of Security Procedures

Aside from the actual security itself, you must
also have the correct security procedures in place should something occur.

Now, clearly there are various scenarios that may
occur, so it makes sense to work through a number
of them to show you the basic kind of procedures that you should be following.

The outside
alarm goes of

It should always be the case that the local police
are aware of who has the keys to a premises so they can call upon them if the alarm goes off during the night.

You will be notified about the alarm and you will
then have to go with the police to allow them to check for any problems before you can switch off the alarm. If the outside alarm does go off, then it
is important that you file a report for your own records including what the
outcome was.

The internal
alarm goes off

The cause of the alarm being triggered has to be
investigated immediately and it does require you to be aware of where the alarm is coming from. For example, if the
security at the door has been triggered,
then you need to investigate if somebody has failed to remove the security tag
or if a customer has tried to steal something. With this, every
member of staff
has to be aware of what to do when the alarm goes off so that the
correct procedures are followed.

Staff security

We have spoken about the security of the building
and also the products, but what about protecting the store from the staff? That is not to say that the staff is going to do something that will upset you
or hamper your business, but at the same time you can never be sure that a member of staff will not let
you down. Ideally,
your store will have certain
security procedures in place to protect the store
and this can involve being able to search staff if required
and even to have security
cameras in place in staff-only areas. Furthermore,
some businesses will have cameras in the checkout areas to make sure that nothing untoward is happening
with the transactions and this is something that you may wish to investigate for your store.

Security with deliveries

This is an area that is often overlooked by some
stores and that in itself is a major problem. You have to remember that the deliveries is an area where some individuals would be able to take advantage
of lacklustre security, and do you really want that to happen? Ideally, you
should have security procedures in
place whereby the deliveries are checked by two people, including a senior
member of staff. Furthermore, you
should seek to check on the deliveries yourself because at least you can determine if it is all correct.

Aside from these situations, there are other
aspects that need to be discussed about the security of your store.

Basic
security procedures should provide you with a step by step guide on what to do
in various circumstances and staff members should also be aware of these
procedures.

This will help to make sure that your store runs
smoothly as security is something that is going to safeguard both your store
and your staff.

Finally, you should be aware that it is not
uncommon for some stores to have a series of procedures and for this to form part of the training for new members of
staff. As an absolute basic rule of thumb they
should all know what to do if an alarm sounds or if somebody tries to steal
something from the store. They should know who to contact,
what they can and cannot do at that time, and where to
draw the line in tackling a security issue. All of this should be included in
your procedures with it being an
absolute blueprint for everybody connected to your store.

FACT

Crime cost the retail sector £700 million in 2016/17

Source: statista.com

13.3    When Things Go Wrong

Let us now cover something that is extremely important, how you deal with things when something does
actually go wrong.

Now, this is going to tie in with your
current security procedures, but you are also going to want to know the actions
that you need to take under various circumstances to make sure that you get
your security back on track.

You have to understand that no security is
absolutely foolproof. It will go wrong at different times and let you down when you least expect it,
but that is why you have to also understand what you need to do should that situation arise. However, as with other
modules, it is easier for us to explain what
we mean by using examples to stress the kind of procedures that you should
consider following.

You have inadequate security

Even though you may not be aware of it at the time,
it is possible that you do not have adequate
security and often you will only discover this when it is too late. This is why you should seek to have your security updated and reviewed on a
regular basis as needs will change from time to time and the technology in the
security industry is also changing on a constant basis. Being aware of this is
essential for the security of your store and products.

Your staff react in the wrong manner

It is always possible that your staff could very
well react in the wrong manner because of inadequate training and also a lack of understanding when it comes to the
procedures that should be followed. This
is a problem as it is important for your security that everybody understands
how to react at different times so that people can work as a unit. It is also
going to be useful if everybody can work together
in order to prevent potential problems by being aware of security issues at the
earliest possible opportunity and then being able to take evasive action.

In any situation, it is always important that the
correct procedures are followed and as we have mentioned, that comes down to
training and preparing staff for any eventuality. The reason why you should spend a significant amount of time checking your security is in place is to make sure that
when a situation arises there are no problems and the solutions work smoothly
and just as they should. However, you
should always have a fall back procedure that should be followed in case of an emergency
because you can never be sure as to what may or may not happen with your store and it is impossible to accurately predict
every single eventuality ahead of the time.

When
something goes wrong, it is important that you as the manager keep calm even if
others around you are failing to stay in control.

There are certain
times where being
strong is the most important thing and this is one of those times. You have to make fast
decisions that put people at ease and allow others to see that you are in complete control and know what you are
doing. This will help to build confidence and when you seek to implement the correct procedures in the future
the staff will be more likely to sit up and take notice of you.

 MODULE SUMMARY

In this module we have covered the important
subject of the security of your store, staff, and customers as well as the security procedures that you should
put in place to make sure that everything runs smoothly. Security is not something that you should just forget about and nor should it be something that you try to do
as cheaply as possible. It is important that you seek the correct advice on security and remember that your insurance company may be one of the best sources since it will be directly related to the
premiums you are paying.

We are unable to provide you with a full list of
the types of security that need to be applied in each and every type of store. As we said earlier on in
the module, it all depends on so many factors,
although the basics do remain the same as it is just the fine tuning of the security that is going to be
the problem.

Security is essential as it provides you with a
safer environment than you ever thought possible. No security is really not an option.