The holidays are a time for family, food and celebration. Unfortunately, while you are celebrating and enjoying vacation, thieves are hard at work.Organized cargo-theft rings are often more active over the holidays. CargoNet reported a total of 146 theft incidents occurring during the 2016 winter holiday (December 23 through January 2). This was a total loss value of $5,812,662.
A few reasons for the spike in crime over the holidays:
- Ample Opportunity — Stores stock-up for the holidays, which means distribution facilities are stocked, too. Thieves know there are rich pickings onsite.
- Holiday Hours — While you are home carving your turkey, there’s no one stopping thieves from carving holes in your fence.
- Increased Demand — Thieves have families, too. Why spend money, when it’s easier to steal the same merchandise out of a trailer in your yard?
How do you prevent holiday theft from happening? We all know the general recommendations of proper lighting, fencing and locks. Summarized below are a few other suggestions from J.J. Coughlin in his book, “Cargo Crime.”
Holiday Security Tips
- Set clear site security standards and review them with staff before the holiday.
- Create a site security procedure checklist. With the holiday excitement, it is easy for our routines to get thrown off. A checklist will ensure nothing is forgotten.
- Implement/Update Access Control. By restricting entry to key areas, you will limit easy access. In some cases, this is enough to deter theft. This will also create a sense of responsibility for those who do have access.
- Establish a company reward and tip hotline to provide employees an incentive to report concerns. Often employees have suspicions before a theft occurs. Providing an easy and discreet way to inform management could be quite beneficial.
- Search Policy — While it may seem intrusive, search policies are helpful. Typically, honest people are quite understanding. Post signs and enforce a search of all people and vehicles entering or leaving company facilities.
The holidays are a time of joy and celebration. Take a moment this year and consider putting additional site security standards in place. Give your staff the gift of safety and yourself peace-of-mind this holiday. Don’t allow thieves the opportunity to “celebrate” at your expense.
