6 Business Safety Tips from an Underwriting Agency
Crime increases over certain periods, and so should protection – It’s high season for criminals as well.
Revolute
From the festive season to New Year’s, Easter break to public holidays and more – it has been statistically proven that crime increases during certain times of the year.
The latest Police Crime Statistics Report shows how commercial crime has shot up by a staggering 5.1% and theft by 9.3%. An additional increase in cash-in-transit (CIT) robberies has been experienced over the last three-year period, with the highest recent number of successful vehicle-on-road (VOR) robberies occurring in 2022. According to Cash In Transit Association of South Africa(CITASA), incidents increased by 25% from 2021 to 2022.
As South Africa prepares for the festive shopping rush, protecting your business’s cash and valuable assets is more important than ever. This article provides hands-on examples to help you minimise risks by improving cash management, valuables-in-transit security measures and other risk-management solutions.
Looking for better ways to protect your business assets over high-risk periods?
When risk goes up, so should protection. Here are six crime-deterring tips for safeguarding your business assets over high-risk periods:
1. Keep cash to a minimum
One of the biggest risks associated with cash and other valuables is theft, especially when it comes to certain times of the year. Large amounts of cash attract unnecessary attention and can end up costing your business more than anticipated.
So, try to keep as little cash on site as possible. Where possible, ensure that you have a proper cash management solution in place and that you are adequately covered in the event of a security breach at all points in the cash management cycle. Following these steps will help minimise the risk of handling large volumes of cash without jeopardising your business.
Contact us for advice on how the right cash management solution can help your business determine how much cash it should have on hand.
2. Beef up on security
Crimes and breaches are hitting best-of-breed businesses around the world. The question is – what happens if you don’t have the correct insurance from a trusted underwriting agency?
No two ways about it – in the current world, security is mandatory. Here are the top business security measures you should have in place to protect your business, staff, and assets over high-risk periods:
- Invest in additional security services: Partnering with a private security company bulks up safety measures in a big way. When you invest in private security, it means there is a desire to provide unmatched safety and security from a third party you have leverage over.
- Ensure standard onsite security measures are in place and are in working order: Make sure your alarm system, panic buttons, motion detectors and transmitting antennae are properly installed and working in case of an emergency. These devices are often the first point of attack for criminals that wish to gain unlawful entry to your business premises.
- Check and double-check CCTV connections: Make sure that your security camera system is working properly, and that all key areas are covered. While prevention is better than cure, CCTV cameras aren’t only useful after a breach – they can help identify potential suspects and suspicious activity before a crime occurs.
- Consider the implementation of an Automated Banking Machine: Having an ABM (or at least a category III drop-safe) installed at your business is an excellent way to keep thieves away from your cash reserves. It also complies with insurance demands, which will be standard from any reputable underwriting agency.
3. Be vigilant
Owning a business involves staying vigilant about preventing crime and protecting your staff and customers. Even if you have all the right security and cash management solutions installed, they are only as effective as the teams that manage them.
Vigilance takes a pre-emptive stance in diffusing crime before it happens. Promote it as part of your business culture. That way, threats can be identified and neutralised before taking on a more serious form.
4. Vet your seasonal staff properly
Properly vetting your temporary employees presents the first line of defence for any business owner who wants to run due diligence over high-risk times because seasonal staff are only at your business for a short period.
Poor compliance, criminal activity, or any other form of negative action taken by a seasonal employee can damage your business’s reputation, cause big losses, or compromise relationships with stakeholders.
5. Take note of high-risk days and times
Wherever excesses of cash are available after periods of good takings present a higher risk for offenders to strike.
Specific times to take note of include late Sunday evenings and early Monday mornings. Excess cash accumulated over the weekend will reflect on Mondays, making this an especially high-risk day for CIT robberies. High-risk times on Monday typically peak between 10am and 4pm, because robbers are more partial to committing theft after the collection of cash for clients.
6. Ensure you have the correct insurance in place
Analyse your business assets and risks. Next, determine how comprehensive you would like your cover to be.
While insurance can help you shift risk away from your business, it pays to investigate whether you have the right insurance that covers your unique set of risks.
That’s where consulting a specialised underwriter can help bridge the gap.
Revolute Underwriting Agency is a custom end-to-end South African underwriting agency that specialises in offering the best possible advice for insuring your cash and other valuables. In addition, we can also help provide valuable advice in terms of selecting the best cash management system.
Enhance seasonal insurance with Revolute Underwriting Agency
Securing your assets and getting all your security planning in place before the high season hits presents an enormous challenge.
Fortunately, Revolute helps you prepare for the unexpected by taking the hassle out of the equation. As a leader in cash, specie and bullion in-transit underwriter, we offer specialist insurance and cutting-edge advice to help your business prosper.
Revolute Underwriting Agency also specialise in cover for high-value precious items like jewellery, fine art and other valuables.
Learn more about Revolute’s commitment to protecting your business today. Visit us at www.revolute.co.za or contact us for more information.
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