Christmas time, mistletoe and…. crime?

Christmas is a time for festive cheer and lavishing your loved ones with delicious food and generous gifts.

A time to be merry, a time for love and good will but for some people, tis the season to cause mayhem and destruction. The truth is, Christmas in Britain isn’t quite the fairy-tale scene some retailers would have you believe. Behind the carol singers and all that glitters lies a dark side to the festivities and for some companies, it can mark the beginning of the end.

Here are the facts. In the month of December, alcohol consumption is up 41%, burglary rises by 1.8% and worst of all, drink driving deaths increase 18%. Now, there’s not much we can do about the idiots who choose to drive whilst over the limit but for the innocent victims of thoughtless vandalism and burglaries, there are steps we can take help you and stop them.

5 ways to protect your business over Christmas

1. Plan. If you know you’re going to be operating with a skeleton staff or even if you’re shutting up shop over the festive period, plan for this with either CCTV coverage, static guards or mobile patrols. Or all three!
2. Alarm. So simple, so effective. Set your alarm, let Churchill do the key holding, have a proper stress free relax for a week or two.
3. The busier the better. The last thing you want this Xmas is to be viewed as a sitting duck. You don’t want your business or property to look obviously empty so the busier it looks, the better. This is where Churchill and our static patrols come in. We’ll park outside, turn on some lights and by making the place look in use, deter any chancers from causing havoc.
4. Light up. For criminals, there’s nothing better than the cloak of darkness. If you’re worried your vast buildings may serve wannabe vandals the perfect environment for trespassing, invest in motion activated lighting. All of a sudden you aren’t much of a soft target.
5. Keep it flexible. Mobile patrols are the ideal solution to check the external premises of your building is looking safe. Our sporadic visits can deter any criminals, scare away opportunists and keep thieves at bay as we’ll display high visibility boards letting ALL that pass by know Churchill is looking after your property.

As a business or property owner, you do all you can to protect yourself from harmful situations and there’s always some element of hope. This year, don’t let hope ruin your chance of having a safe Christmas.

Belt and braces

Any time you leave the security measures in the hands of chance, criminals will take what they want – with both hands. Deciding what your security measures in December should be can be difficult. You’ll always have that one person that believes you can scale down because business is quiet. But you couldn’t be more wrong.

When it comes to the belt and braces approach that we encourage our business customers take each year, static patrols and mobile visits are the answer. Two measures each working together to give you THE best coverage over Christmas. There’s no question about it – it’s the most efficient combination and still gives you the flexibility to keep the opportunists guessing. For full details on your Christmas coverage from Churchill, call us know and lets start planning for a successful break and a great start to the New Year.

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