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Holiday Season Safety and Security Tips

The holidays are a special time of year for everyone.

The holiday season and winter months often bring an unwelcome guest - increased crime. Breaking & entering, fraud and shoplifting often rise during these busy months. Here's some advice to help protect your business this holiday season.

1. Maintain a visible premise - day & night.
Don't cover all the window space; keep a light on at night.

2. Placement of cash register.
Place the register facing customers, but not too close to the door.

3. Effective store layout.
Ensure placement of goods & products to allow for visibility. Mirrors can help in hard-to-see areas.

4. Money Handling.
Vary your bank deposit visiting times, make several deposits per day, and ensure that no money is left on premise
after closing.

5. Make note of escape routes.
If you have more than one entrance to your business, i.e. back door, ensure that it is visible and alarmed. An entrance
"bell ring" to alert when customers enter & exit is useful.

6. Verify Identification.
If you accept cheques, request 2 pieces of ID, one of which should be photo ID.

Don't be a victim of crime this holiday season, or at any time during the year. And don't forget to...

Call 911 to report any crime, no matter how small.

Get an incident number so that the crime has been registered with the Vancouver Police Department.