Crime Prevention

•Ensure you lock all doors, including garage/shipping/receiving doors when leaving.

•Consider installing (electronic)door chimes/door bells on main doors and all unlocked doors to alert when someone has entered.

•Have a good look at your property and “Think like a criminal.”

•Don’t leave a spare key in an obvious spot.

•Install night-time lighting and sensor lights, leaving both on in the evening. Thieves prefer darkness.
If your business is lit up, they will move on to the next business. An inexpensive lightbulb is one of your best forms of security. Make sure your driveway/parking lot/walkways are well-lit at night.
•Ensure your property is visible and do not allow hiding spots for criminals, such as behind trees. Keep an unobstructed line of visibility for you to look out of your business to the street and parking lot.

•Overgrown hedges, bushes and trees are an advantage for criminals. Shrubs should be six feet away from all entry points and walkways. Hedges should be six inches below the level of all windows. Any limbs on mature trees should be trimmed about seven feet from the ground.

•Never leave ladders accessible and keep all fire escapes locked.

•Keep personal and company vehicle doors locked at all times, even if your vehicle is parked
directly in front of your business during daylight hours.

•Keep vehicle windows closed and never leave spare keys in plain view or in an easily accessible area.

•Never leave vehicle(s) running unattended.

•Never leave valuable objects and packages in plain sight, lock them in the trunk (OUT of sight is OUT of mind).

•Attend to customers promptly, ensuring you make eye contact. Never turn your back or leave them unattended.

•Ensure layout eliminates blind spot corners, areas to hide and reduces exit points.

•Create clear sightlines in aisles and reduce the height of displays. Keep valuables locked up.

•Light up the outside at night, with some lighting inside - preventing the entire indoors from being seen from outside, but affording the opportunity for witnesses to be alerted from outside if an intruder is within.

•Install CCTV cameras. Post signage that advises premise is under video surveillance. Even if there are no cameras, signage alone can be a deterrent.

•Install an alarm system with voice activation advising police have been dispatched.

•Signs and coverings should never cover more than 30% of the window and be positioned below eye level to ensure employees can see outside and passerbys can be alerted if an intruder has entered after business hours.

•Ensure safes are bolted to the floor in an area that is not visible. If you do not have a safe, consider hiding valuables in unsuspecting areas (not drawers).

•Install bars on windows, tempered glass, glass break sensors and keep valuables away from main windows.

•Record serial numbers and photograph all your valuables in/on the premises.

•Leave cash registers open, with minimal to no monies inside and place signage on cash counter and main door that advises of such.

•Ensure layout eliminates blind spot corners, areas to hide and reduces exit points.

•Create clear sightlines in aisles and reduce the height of displays. Keep valuables locked up. 

•Light up the outside at night, with some lighting inside - preventing the entire indoors from being seen from outside, but affording the opportunity for witnesses to be alerted from outside, if an intruder is within.

•Install CCTV cameras. Post signage that advises premise is under video surveillance. Even if there are no cameras, signage alone can be a deterrent.

•Install an alarm system with voice activation advising police have been dispatched.

•Signs and coverings should never cover more than 30% of the window and be positioned below eye level to ensure employees can see outside and passerbys can be alerted if an intruder has entered after business hours. 

•Ensure safes are bolted to the floor in an area that is not visible. If you do not have a safe, consider hiding valuables in unsuspecting areas (not drawers).

•Install bars on windows, tempered glass, glass break sensors and keep valuables away from main windows.

•Record serial numbers and photograph all of your valuables in/on the premises. 

•Leave cash registers open, with minimal to no monies inside and place signage on cash counter and main door that advises of such.

•If taking daily cash home, never take the same route, drive past your home and ensure you’re not being followed.

Deter Porch Pirates

• Send packages to a friend or relative who will be home
• Send packages to a post office or pick-up locker service or require signature upon delivery
• Request packages be placed out of sight or provide a lockable package bin on your doorstep
• Subscribe to delivery alerts and notifications when parcels have been delivered
• If a package arrives and you won’t be home for some time, ask a trusted neighbour to retrieve
• Install clearly visible security cameras or video doorbells and clearly pointed at drop-off location
• Hang signs in your window or yard about your security system
• Always keep your doorstep clear of large debris or shrubs so thieves cannot conceal themselves
• Request non-descriptive packaging so as not to announce what the package contains
• Check on the seller and delivery company’s policies regarding theft/fraud

Deter Vehicle Thefts

• Always ensure your vehicle is locked and take the keys with you
• Always park in a well-lit area and/or locked garage
• Never leave an unattended vehicle running with keys inside
• Consider anti-theft devices, such as a steering wheel lock or collar
• Never hide a spare key inside your vehicle or outside your home
• When not in use, place your key fob inside a radio frequency shielding pouch (Faraday Bag) to block cell signals
• Never place/hang or leave keys directly inside the front door or near windows
• Consider placing keys on your bedside table, as long as it’s not near a window The key fob can also be activated as an alert alarm, if you hear or see suspicious activity outside your home at night

Deter Home Invasions

• Leave a motor vehicle in the driveway
• Use timers on lights inside the residence
• Post signage for alarm companies and/or pets
• Have a neighbour or other source remove any pamphlets, mail or flyers from the door handles or in front of the residence
• Don’t announce your travel plans on social media platforms 

Protect Your Vehicle and Its Contents:

• Ensure doors are always locked and the key/fob is in your pocket
• Park in well-lit areas
  
  
• Never leave money in plain sight
  
  
• Always roll up your car windows
  
  
• Put shopping bags and other parcels in the trunk
• Ensure GPS is put in a safe, out-of-sight location
  
  
• Keep vehicle registration certificate and proof of insurance on you
  
  
• Take electronics, including your cellphone, with you
  
  
• Don't leave your car running unattended
• If parking in the same lot often, park in different spots each day
  
  
• Don't leave documents such as credit card statements in your vehicle