Protect your premises

Whilst your business may be getting ready to shutdown over the Christmas and New Year period, the burglary business isn't!

Help protect your business premises by following some simple tips from the Australia Federal Police (AFP):

• Maintain the landscaping around your premises, including trimming trees and scrubs away from doors and windows. This limits concealment and increases natural surveillance of your property.
• Most burglaries occur at the side or rear of the building, so make sure these doors, windows and frames are secure and of solid construction.
• Reinforce glass windows and doors. You can do this by installing a shatter resistant film on existing glass, replacing existing glass with laminated glass or installing quality metal security grilles or shutters.
• Install external night lighting which will enable police, security guards or passing people to monitor activities around the premises. The lighting should be directed towards the building. A limited amount of internal lighting should also be left on at night. 
• Restrict unauthorised access and tampering with the power supply by housing the switch board within a metal cabinet secured by a durable lock.
• Record descriptions, models and serial numbers of your business’ property and keep this record in a safe place on and off site.  Serial numbers are essential in identifying property.
• Think about marking your property, such as engraving your ABN number onto items. Property which can’t be marked should be photographed.

You should also register your details on the ACT Keyholder Register. The ACT Keyholder register is a list of the names and after hours contact details of business owners or others who have access to your business premises.

This information is stored on the AFP’s confidential computer system and is not given out to anyone other than an authorised AFP staff member. The register is only accessed in the event police need the owner, or another nominated person to attend the premises, such as if there has been damage from fire, burglary or other incidents that may happen after business hours.

You can update the register by using the AFP’s ACT Keyholder Register online or PDF form .

Find more burglary prevention tips in the AFP’s Preventing Burglary factsheet (PDF 122kb) .

To find out more crime prevention tips from the AFP, including information on fraud, bag checking and searching, and workplace security on the AFP’s Bizsafe program website .