Keeping your shop safe from anti-social behaviour and shoplifting will always be at the forefront of your mind.
Security measures like CCTV and retail security are widely used on the high street to reduce retail shrinkage (loss from theft) – but how do you know if you need them?
A professional security risk assessment will tell you once and for all.
What is included in a security risk assessment?
A security risk assessment looks at a business as a whole and identifies, assesses, and implements security controls to keep all business assets safe from harm.
A security risk assessment usually involves analysing:
- Facilities
- Servers
- Networks
- Data security
- Company policy
- Third-party access
To find weak spots, assess how the sector could be breached from an attacker’s perspective, and employ security measures to ensure it can never happen again and stop you from losing money from malicious attacks.
How is a security risk assessment carried out?
Although they can differ depending on which company carries them out, generally speaking, most security assessments are carried out by trained staff who:
- Identify assets
- Assess security risks for each asset
- Prioritise risks – working from highest to lowest
- Take action to mitigate risk
- Document all risks and corrective actions
Third-party teams are usually brought in by businesses, to carry out an assessment and prepare a report at the end, which outlines the risks and the actions taken to correct them.
How can a security risk assessment be conducted in retail?
As you would expect, security risk assessments differ depending on the type of business in question.
For retail, a security risk assessment has several main benefits, including:
Preventing theft
If your premises lack rigorous security protocols and security measures like CCTV and well-trained and professional retail security officers, chances are that you are leaving yourselves open to theft.
Similar factors such as layout errors and poor cash register etiquette can be easily spotted by would-be shoplifters, which could result in your shop being targeted by professional shoplifters in the future.
Determining how to best use current assets
You may be one step ahead of retail competitors and be utilising security measures to help protect your stock, staff, and customers – but how do you know if you are using them as efficiently as possible?
An outside agency can view your portfolio holistically, approach it from a malicious perspective, and support managers in making informed decisions about resource allocation, tooling, and security control implementation.
Identifying security issues and implementing mitigative factors
Sometimes it can be hard to see exactly how you are leaving yourself open to attack when experiencing budget or time constraints, especially if you have worked in one location for many years.
In this way, an outside agency can use their expertise to see things you cannot, and extensive experience can help them to choose the most cost-effective mitigating controls for your shop, including retail security, CCTV, and surveillance.
Is retail security the best way to keep your premises, stock, and staff safe?
If you are working with a limited budget, you may be wondering if retail security is the best method for protecting your shop or boutique.
When used as a stand-alone measure, retail security officers can offer exceptional value for money, thanks to the wide range of duties they can perform, which include:
- Monitoring CCTV
- Watching customers that enter and leave the premises
- Looking for suspicious behaviour, including loitering and attempted entry into restricted areas
- Patrolling internal and external areas
- Stepping in when suspicious or anti-social behaviour is observed or reported
- Liaising with emergency services and writing reports when needed
- Handling situations calmly and professionally within industry-approved parameters
It is generally encouraged, however, to combine retail security and other mitigative factors like surveillance and CCTV for the most effective store security plan.
This gives shop owners the certainty that their shop is protected from incidents in real-time and also has the capability to record any malicious activities for prosecution purposes.
For the best in retail security, contact Double Check Security Group
All retail store security staff from Double Check Security are Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed, trained to the highest standard and have impeccable manners – with a friendly, approachable attitude so customers and staff feel they can approach them if needed.
They also act as a suitable visual deterrent, giving shoplifters reason to pause before they attempt to steal from your business.
To discuss bespoke store security for your premises, no matter your needs, you can call us on 020 3794 8182 or email us and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
