Skip to Content

Emergency: 9 1 1

  • Careers
  • File a Report
  • Contact Us
i want to iconI Want To
Woodstock Police Service Logo
Contact Us
  • Services & Reporting
    • Alarm Registry
    • Assault, Abuse and Victim Services
    • Bicycle Registry
    • Crime Mapping
    • Homelessness Services
    • Records and Fingerprinting
    • Reporting
    • Request a Paid Duty Officer
    • Seized Vehicles
    • Vulnerable Person Registry
  • Safety & Crime Prevention
    • Bicycle Safety
    • Business Safety
    • Cannabis
    • Distracted and Impaired Driving
    • Frauds and Scams
    • Holiday Crime Prevention
    • Home and Property Safety
    • Internet and Social Media Safety
    • Personal Safety
    • Road Safety
  • Careers & Volunteering
    • Civilian Positions
    • Experienced Officers
    • Fitness Test
    • Job Postings
    • New Recruits
    • Special Constables
    • Volunteering
    • Youth In Policing Initiative
  • About Us
    • A to Z
    • Annual Report
    • Anti-Racism Advisory Committee
    • Chiefs Message
    • Contact Us
    • Disciplinary Hearings and Decisions
    • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
    • Events Calendar
    • Media Relations
    • News
    • Our Headquarters
    • Our History
    • Police Service Board
    • Public Complaints
    • Sections and Units
    • Strategic Plan
    • Vision, Mission, Values
I Want To
  • Report
    • Online Reporting
  • Apply
    • Alarm Registry
    • Career Postings
    • Fingerprinting
    • Record Checks
    • Vulnerable Person Registry
    • Volunteering
    • Youth In Policing Initiative
HomeSafety & Crime PreventionBusiness Safety
 
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

Business Safety

cup

How do I keep my business safe?

General business safety tips

  • Keep up-to-date and organized inventory records.
  • If you accept online payments or use the Internet to gather customer information, consider website authentication to decrease the threat of fraud.
  • Install security cameras: to prevent crime and help identify suspects of crime.
  • Train employees to close the store properly.
  • Make sure that all inside and outside entrances and windows are able to be secured, preferably with deadbolt locks and/or metal cages with locks.
  • Make sure the outside of your business is well lit.
  • Consider installing covers over exterior lights and power sources to prevent tampering.
  • Make sure that your entire sales floor can be easily viewed. Eliminate any blind spots that may hide a robbery in progress. Keep displays neat, and place small and valuable objects in cabinets. Ensure that your staff is familiar with all of the merchandise in the store.
  • Change locks if the keys are lost or not returned by a former employee.
  • Install an enunciator on entrances to alert you that someone has entered your store or office.
  • Make bank deposits often and during business hours but do not establish a regular pattern that a potential thief is able to follow.
  • Think before talking about the details of your job or working on sensitive projects in public places with strangers around.
  • Invest in a paper shredder or consider what is on a piece of paper before you toss it into the trash.
  • Get to know the people who operate other businesses in your area. Watch for suspicious activity and report it to the police immediately.
  • After hours, do not work late alone. Create a buddy system for walking to parking lots or public transportation or ask security to escort you.
  • Protecting your premises physically is a challenge in itself—but your online property is just as valuable. Given the growth of identity theft, it pays to invest in antivirus, anti-phishing, anti-spyware and a firewall protection to ensure that your network and your employee's personal information are secure.

Robbery prevention measures

  • Greet or assist each customer as they come into the store.
  • If a person appears to be loitering in the store, ask them if they need any assistance.
  • Watch for suspicious loiterers outside, in cars, or on foot.
  • Be suspicious of persons asking about your security or cash handling system.
  • If you become concerned about a person or vehicle, note the description and contact police immediately.
  • Never count cash or open the safe in public view.
  • When possible, make bank deposits during banking hours and use an unmarked package to transport the money.
  • Keep sight lines in and out of the store clear by removing signs and displays from window areas.
  • Remove displays or stock that provide hiding spots in the store or around the exterior of the building.
  • Adequate lighting should be maintained both in and outside the business.
  • If your business is equipped with an alarm system, make certain that it is properly serviced and that all staff members are aware of how and when to use it.
  • Make sure employees are familiar with the use of the "panic" button of your alarm system, and with locking of doors.
  • Have all side or service doors locked at all times.

During a robbery

  • You should stay calm.
  • Keep any note that the robber passes to you and handle it by the edges only; to help with fingerprinting.
  • Make observation of the robber so you can describe him to police when they arrive (tattoos, hair colour, build, clothing description, etc.)
  • You do not know what type of concealed weapon the robber may have so do not argue or fight.
  • Always keep in mind the safety of you, your staff and your clients are the main priority.

After a robbery

  • Promptly lock all doors to prevent the robber from getting back into the store.
  • Do not touch anything; to preserve evidence for the police.
  • Keep an eye on the suspect's direction of travel once they leave, while maintaining your own safety.
  • Try to get the license plate number if the suspect flees in a vehicle.
  • Call the police immediately and follow all their directions.
  • Do not hang up on dispatch until the police officer arrives.
  • Ask any witnesses if they would be willing to talk to the police about the robbery.
  • Write down your observations of the suspect while fresh in your mind.
  • When talking to the police, do not exaggerate the story.

Security tips - closing a business for an extended period

  • Remove all valuables from storefront displays.
  • Remove all cash from tills and leave open with the empty cash tray out.
  • Leave some indoor lights on using timers for better quality security video and to make it seem like there is activity in the home.
  • Clean all windows and floors before leaving and make note when you have done so to help police investigate in the event of a break-in.
  • Post on doors/windows that the property is monitored by an alarm company and no money is kept on site. Include the WPS non-emergent phone number, (519) 537-2323, to call Police should anyone notice a break-in or damage.
  • Put a protective film on windows and glass to prevent easy entry via “smash-and-grab.”
  • Ensure all doors and windows get locked and secured.
  • Ensure security alarm systems work and contact lists are current.
  • Consider a CCTV surveillance system that can be monitored by phone/online and record to review for an investigation.
  • Ensure all exterior lighting is functioning and on. Consider motion sensor lights as another option to detect and deter unlawful activity.
  • Remove anything on the exterior which could be used to gain entry to your premises (bricks, ladders, poles, construction materials, etc.).
  • Regularly check the building at different times and keep track of when you check (maintain a log).

 

NOTE: Woodstock Police remind property owners that if a business looks neglected it can become a target. If it looks cared for and like someone is home or around often, thieves will move on to other locations.

  • Safety & Crime Prevention
    • Bicycle Safety
    • Business Safety
    • Cannabis
    • Distracted and Impaired Driving
    • Frauds and Scams
    • Holiday Crime Prevention
    • Home and Property Safety
    • Internet and Social Media Safety
    • Personal Safety
    • Road Safety

Contact Us

page subscription icon Subscribe to this Page

Serving and Protecting Woodstock

Woodstock Police Service footer logo

© 2022 Woodstock Police Service

  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Freedom of Information
  • Sitemap
  • Website Feedback
  • Location
  • Contact Us

By GHD Digital

Woodstock Police Service, 615 Dundas St., Woodstock, ON N4S 1E1, Canada, T: (519) 537-2323

Follow Us: View our Facebook Page View our Twitter Page View our Instagram Page View our YouTube Page

Scroll to the top of the pageTop

×

Browser Compatibility Notification

It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.