Business crime prevention tips
As an employer, you have a duty to keep the workplace as safe as possible. You also need to know that your staff and customers are honest and safe.
- Think about ways to prevent crime.
- Take action in more than one way.
- Involve your staff in your actions.
- Work with others to make sure your efforts have the best effects.
Preventing theft:
- Always check references for new staff.
- Introduce and follow clear policies about employee theft.
- Train staff to spot thieves and to watch out for suspicious behaviour.
- Greet every person who enters the business in a friendly way. This could help to put someone off committing a crime against you or your business.
- Remember that your safety is always more important than your property.
- Make sure all monies coming in and going out are dealt with by different employees.
- Randomly check deliveries, both to your business and to your customers.
- Monitor the petty cash closely.
- Question excessive amounts of voids, credits, or damage claims.
- Never accept photocopies of invoices, delivery notes, etc.
- Investigate unusual occurrences such as missing documents or unexplained absences during the working day.
- Tell your staff to pay only for goods received and remind them not to pay for goods that have not been ordered, even if an invoice is provided.
- Change locks and computer passwords periodically.
- As a last resort, if you do discover theft in your business, consider prosecution.
