HOLIDAY BURGLARY WARNING from the Jewelry Security Alliance
ROOFTOPS, POWER CUTS, SAFE ATTACKS
As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, jewelers are reminded that burglars love holiday closures and weekends. The risks of power cuts, rooftop burglaries and safe attacks increase. If your alarm company informs you of an alarm condition, communication error or power interruption at your store, an owner or employee and police MUST visit the store and make an inspection of the entire premises.
During the inspection the jeweler should also look at the store’s electric meter to make sure it is functioning and hasn’t been tampered with. Be sure that someone high on the alarm company call list will be available to respond on holiday weekends.
JSA BURGLARY RECOMMENDATIONS
- Jewelers MUST respond to all alarm signals promptly including notice of communication errors or power interruption. Jewelry personnel should never enter the jewelry premises alone in response to an alarm signal, but should wait to be accompanied by police.
- Examination of only the ground floor doors and windows is not sufficient. The roof, sidewalls and all possible points of entry must be examined, including through neighboring premises. Rooftop burglars have come through the roof in mall locations as well as in other types of locations, and many jewelry stores have been entered by breaking through sidewalls after gaining entry to an adjacent store from the roof of that adjacent store.
- Jewelry burglars have been cutting power lines or disabling electrical junction boxes to disable alarm systems and cameras. Junction boxes must be examined. Any unexplained power outage at your store or telephone outage is a red flag.
- Jewelers should confirm with their alarm company that their alarm set-up will provide protection from entry from the roof, side walls and all possible points of entry, in addition to doors and windows.
- All jewelry premises need adequate line security for their alarm system, and need to test their system from time to time.
- Make sure your firm’s alarm company call list is up to date, with adequate responders even during vacation periods, holidays and weekends.
- Do not position a safe on an outside wall or a wall of a neighboring office or store that would allow burglars to break through a wall and penetrate the safe without even entering the jeweler’s premises.
- TL 15×6 and TL 30×6 rated safes are not adequate protection from today’s burglars, who can purchase inexpensive cutting devices from Home Depot or Lowe’s that can cut into and penetrate these safes.
- Don’t leave merchandise out at night in showcases. Leaving inexpensive merchandise in showcases encourages break-ins. Even if all merchandise will not fit in a safe, try to lock low-end merchandise away and out of sight. If burglars break through walls and windows, and smash showcases, the damage to the store and possible business interruption can be more costly than the loss of the low-end merchandise. Furthermore, burglars often take enough low-end merchandise that is left out overnight to amount to a significant loss.
- Don’t cover showcases with cloth or material when the store is closed. It is safer when your showcases look empty to potential burglars.
John J. Kennedy, President, Jewelers’ Security Alliance