The December festive season is perhaps the busiest time of the year for small businesses across the country.
Tills ring non-stop as customers buy everything they need for the holiday season, not forgetting that ‘back to school’ sales will follow soon.
The small business (SME) sector is a major job creator in South Africa and contributes an estimated R1.5t to the GDP.
Keeping them secure and safe from crime is an obvious priority, but small ‘mom-and-pop’ shops can often not afford the same kind of sophisticated security systems that bigger companies can afford.
According to Fidelity Services Group’s head of communications and marketing, Charnel Hattingh, a lot can be done to protect these small and medium enterprises from crime and criminals, especially during this busy period of their trading year.
She added that business-related crimes continue unabated and points out that keeping large amounts of cash on the premises is a definite risk for everyone working there.
Preventing an incident
Businesses are encouraged to scrutinise their security from the perimeter inwards – or have a risk evaluation done by a reputable security company.
The layers of security are:
• Perimeter – Walling, palisade fencing, and gates are deterrents and can be further protected with systems like electric fencing, security beams, CCTV, and security guards which monitor vehicles and people coming in and out.
• Parking – Moving inwards on the property, the next zone to be secured is the staff and customer parking area. Here, CCTV is an asset too, and you can use security guards to patrol the area.
• Entrance – The front door is probably the most vulnerable area of a business premises. This is a hot zone because if a criminal makes it through the front door, they are there for a reason and unlikely to leave without what they came for. Front entrances should be protected with security gates that work on an intercom system. Staff should be equipped with panic buttons linked to armed response.
• Interior – Inside the workplace, staff need mobile and fixed panic buttons, access to emergency telephone numbers, and a clear emergency plan to follow in the event of any scenario (fire, hostage situation, violent attack, medical emergency, or robbery).
According to Hattingh, there must also be a proper security solution in place for opening and closing times.
“Support from a guarding or armed response service provider is a good extra layer of protection for staff undertaking this daily.
“Almost any crime that can happen at home or in a neighbourhood can happen in the workplace. Staff need to be as vigilant and security conscious at work as they are at home,” she said.
What to do when criminals strike
“Do not resist and assure the assailants that you will cooperate. They must see that you will not take any action that will jeopardise your safety and that you are not planning any quick or unexpected movements.”
Hattingh advised residents to follow the instructions of the armed assailants and never argue with them.
She further advised shops and restaurants to install panic buttons, which staff members should how to use and where to find them.
“Be as detailed as you can. Look out for tattoos, jewellery, the colour of their eyes, clothing they wore, their height, age, and weight. Also, listen to anything they say to one another. We have found it is often helpful if police have a description of the shoes worn by the suspects, especially if they dump the shirts or jackets they were wearing.”
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