Bristol Security: Methods to Curb Criminal Damage
Criminal damage covers a broad spectrum of criminal activity. Although it covers a lot of crime-types, one thing is a commonly recurring theme: Every time a business is hit by criminal damage in Bristol, security is not tight enough – which is why awareness needs to be raised about what criminal damage is and how it can be tackled.
Criminal Damage – What is it?
Criminal damage could cover many criminal activities, but in a nutshell it is when the property of one person is damaged by another. This could be out of malice or even boredom, and could range from a broken window through to a trashed shop floor – but whatever it is and whatever the reason, it costs businesses and individuals throughout Bristol thousands of pounds a year in repair costs.
In fact, in just one month alone there were 89 reported incidents of arson and criminal damage within just one mile of Bristol center (September 2012, Police.uk). Do you know the statistics for your local part of Bristol? They might surprise you…
…learn how to reduce them.
Curbing Criminal Damage
There are many ways of reducing the chances of criminal damage occurring, as well as ways that will minimize the damage. If you want to improve your chances of avoiding such a crime in Bristol, security can be increased using the following:
- CCTV. Ensure that your CCTV is clearly visible and is placed in any area where valuable or difficult to repair property is accessible. This could be inside your workplace, in the car park, directly outside the door… wherever you might be subject to criminal damage, show criminals that you’re watching them.
- Security Guards. Depending on the size of your business, you may wish to consider hiring a Bristol security guard. There are many good firms out there, and even for small sole-owned shops there are security solutions that give you access to professional security 24/7. Security guards go one step further than CCTV cameras – not only do they show criminals that you’re watching, but they provide a way of you actively intervening to reduce the effects of vandalism.
- Signposting. Let criminals know they’re under your watchful glare and give Bristol security a more active and powerful message. Letting criminals know that if they damage your property they will be arrested and made liable for the costs is a great way to make them think twice before they break your window.
The most important thing to remember though is to stay in the loop with what is happening in your local area. Read the local news, assess the latest trends and you’ll soon be armed with one of the most important crime-fighting tools: Knowledge.
Bristol Security: Attacking Anti-Social Behaviour
The word crime brings a very destructive image into the forefront of many people’s minds. In Bristol, security measures are improving but it is still very easy to hear the word ‘crime’ and think of burned-out cars, ransacked shops and robbery victims.
There is a crime which has less of a direct impact however, that is often overlooked when the word ‘crime’ is thrown into a sentence: Anti-Social behaviour.
It is a crime
Many people think that anti-social behaviour is nothing more than a nuisance – but it is a very real crime and can have very real consequences. In September 2012 alone, the Police.uk website published that there had been 715 reported incidents of anti-social behaviour which were being treated as criminal – and that isn’t a city-wide figure, that’s a figure that covers only a 1 mile radius of Bristol! Security is improving, but could be far better. If you own a business, you might be interested to know how anti-social behaviour affects you:
- Intimidates customers. Customers who witness anti-social behaviour while on your premises are less likely to return, and it deters them from entering in the first place. This loses you a lot more business than you might be inclined to give it discredit for.
- Intimidates staff. If you want to provide your staff with a happy, healthy working environment to provide your customers with a happy, healthy working image then you might be interested to know that anti-social behaviour on or around your business has an impact on workplace satisfaction and can cause feelings of fear and intimidation.
- Leads to bigger crime. What starts as a bit of tomfoolery or noise can often lead to raised tempers, violence and even worse crimes.
The important thing to remember about loiterers and those who cause a disturbance to your local area is that they look for places that are unwatched by authority and easy to disturb. If you want to improve your local chunk of Bristol, security guards can significantly reduce the likelihood of undesirable groups of people around your business premise and increase the feeling of safety which is important for your staff, your customers and even yourself.
Anti-social behaviour might not be the most obvious crime causing your business damage, but it is one of the most common crimes in Bristol, and has consequences you might not realise. Luckily, it is one of the easiest to resolve, and enlisting the help of a professional security company can boost your company image and the area surrounding your business.