The Break-In
It's 11 o'clock Tuesday evening, the telephone rings and the police or your security company
informs you that your business has been broken into. You hurry to your business thinking
the worst and are greeted by the police who escort you into your premises to assess the
losses and damage.
Each week, events such as this occur numerous
times across the country, regardless of the security in place.
Termed "smash and grab" incidents, the
perpetrators break through doors and windows and loot the place, grabbing anything that is
portable and has street value. In the short span of time from when the alarm goes off and
the police are notified, the thieves throw computers, monitors, telephones and other
valuables into a waiting car or van, usually escaping before the police arrive.
The equipment can be replaced and the damaged
premises cleaned and repaired. Hopefully you have adequate insurance coverage. But the
true cost of dealing with the aftermath while trying to reconstruct systems to keep your
business afloat may be far more than you could imagine.
Here are some tips that can help you take steps to
check your security measures as well as in a worst case scenario, lessen the impact of a
break-in incident.
The Alarm System
When activated, your alarm system should not only
be loud but also automatically contact the alarm company. Motion sensors on doors and
windows can also help deter a break-in.
Property and Equipment
All doors should be equipped with deadbolts or
other solid lock systems. Your local locksmith can help you determine the most effective
means of protecting all entrances with locks or other restraining devices. If in doubt as
to the impact on safety requirements, contact your local fire department.
Secure all computers, monitors and other high-end
portable equipment to desks or work benches with cables and locks to make it more
difficult to remove these items.
Make sure all filing cabinets are locked at the
end of each day to prevent thieves pulling out drawers and pitching files in search of
valuables. Also consider securing cabinets to the wall to reduce the risk of further
vandalism. Make sure the keys to all locked cabinets are either off site or well hidden in
the premises.
Business Insurance
Review your insurance coverage annually and update
the coverage when you purchase new equipment.
Determine whether your coverage is sufficient for
items such as:
• Theft/temporary location
• Valuable records
• Tools and equipment
• Signs
• Clean-up
• Business interruption.
If your business leases space, review your
landlord-tenant agreement to determine your specific responsi-bilities. Typically, the
landlord will be responsible for all exterior doors, windows and original leasehold
improvements. As a tenant, your business could be responsible for damages to any changes
to the original leasehold improvements. Be sure to review these terms with your insurance
agent and keep copies of your insurance policy and lease agreement off site.
Contact Numbers
Be prepared by having these telephone numbers
stored in your cell phone or Blackberry:
• Police
• Insurance
company
• Key
employees
• Glass
replacement shop
• Locksmith
• Suppliers
of essential tools, equipment,
computers,
etc.
• Programmers
and technicians for getting business equipment operational.
Business Records and Application Programs
Good records will expedite the recovery process.
• Take
pictures of all capital assets and the premises. When you make improvements, take new
pictures. Store a CD of these pictures off site so they are readily available if you have
to make a claim.
• Scan invoices to create a record of
descriptions, serial and model numbers and store these on the CD with the pictures.
• Back up, back up, and back up all critical
data.
• Consider not only backing up at the end of
each day, but also keeping copies off site.
• Investigate off-site storage to which you
can download data files on a daily basis.
• Keep records of software serial numbers,
version number and contact telephone numbers. Store a back-up copy of all applications off
site.
At the Crime Scene
In the event of a break-in, make sure you:
• Record the names and badge numbers of the
police who attend as well as the incident number. Your insurance company will require this
information.
• Determine the details that the police
require about the stolen property and complete the list as quickly as possible to enhance
the possibility of recovery.
• Contact your insurance agent and your
landlord as soon as possible.
• Change locks and security codes.
• Take pictures of the entire area. These
will not only be helpful for the insurance company but may also help you recall all items
that were stolen.
• Try to have the adjuster at the scene as
quickly as possible. Once the adjuster has assessed the damages, you can then start to get
the area back into working condition. If you are in leased premises, your landlord's
adjuster may also need to review the damage.
Your adjuster may advise who to hire to clean up
the damages to floors, carpets, walls, entrances and windows. It is important to get the
work area back into shape as quickly as possible to help employees deal with the stress
and disruption caused by the break-in.
Prepare a Contingency Plan
Taking steps to prepare a contingency plan, secure
vulnerable assets, maintain records of all assets and ensure proper back-up procedures are
in place will help ensure a speedy recovery in the wake of a break-in.
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