One of the most effective ways to deter crime in Chicago is to create a sense of territory in those who enter your business. This sounds a little aggressive, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Over-aggression can communicate overcompensation. What we’re talking about is establishing a confident sense of your business’s territory. How do you create this sense of territory?

1. It begins with access control. Make sure entrances are secured when they’re not in use. You’d be surprised at the number of stores we’ve implemented security for where someone can walk right in the back door. That might be the hallway your back office or drop vault are in.

More than maintaining access control, have a system in place for when certain doors are opened and when they’re locked. Make sure employees know this system as part of their responsibilities.

2. Secure your back office by installing a lock. Make sure this back office has a phone and hold up alarm. In the event of a hold up, someone in the back can secure themselves here safely, lock the door, and both phone and trigger the hold up alarm. Employees should always look to escape a situation first and then call for help, but this gives them an additional option if that route is cut off.

3. Many crimes are crimes of opportunity. You can’t confront every customer that enters in order to make clear that this is your territory. That would seem rude and lose your business very quickly. You should make sure employees greet them and establish eye contact. If they’re worried someone is acting suspiciously, don’t confront this – you don’t want to escalate a situation that hasn’t happened yet. Ask, “Can I help you?” or “Are you looking for something?”

For people without bad intentions, this is polite. For people who are looking for opportunity to commit a crime, they know they’re being observed and that employees are responding to them quickly. This can help deter them.

4. A CCTV system works to deter crime in Chicago and to record evidence of it. Many robbers will think twice before robbing from a place with a good CCTV system. Make sure you have multiple cameras that get full coverage of the store, that they’re hard to reach or destroy, and that you have an obvious one covering the entrance. Make height markings at the entrance, too, so that the camera can record the height of anyone coming into the store – this can help police later.