Business

Why Criminals Target Certain Kinds of Businesses

Businesses are as susceptible the crime as individual homes. In essence, criminals don’t care what type of building they hit as long as they walk away with some sort of prize. This is why it is so important for owners to invest in business security systems.

Security systems aside, it is also helpful to know why criminals target certain kinds of businesses. Once you know how criminals think, you can take actions to thwart them. Knowing why they do what they do gives you the upper hand in nearly every situation.

The Right Loot

A criminal looking to hit a particular business is after something. It might be cash; it might be goods that can easily be sold on the street. The one thing common to all business crimes is this: criminals want something particular to that business.

Criminals looking for instant cash tend to target establishments like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. Why? Because they know these types of businesses tend to have a considerable amount of cash on hand. It just comes with the territory.

The downside is having to commit armed robbery. Criminals uncomfortable with that might target businesses with easily sold products, like designer sunglasses. A popular brand selling for hundreds of dollars at retail can easily fetch a decent price on the street. Criminals are happy to target pharmacies and boutiques to net as many pairs of sunglasses as possible.

Very Little Resistance

Next up is the amount of resistance a business offers. Criminals across the entire spectrum target the weak. Where businesses are concerned, they look for careless employees, a lack of business security, easy access to buildings, and so forth.

The combination of attractive loot and little resistance makes a business a prime target. It is the perfect combination criminals are looking for. As such, it benefits businesses with the most attractive loot to take extra security precautions.

Business Location

Believe it or not, location also makes a difference. Criminals targeting businesses prefer to wait until after hours. They also prefer locations where there will not be a lot of people around during the time crimes are being committed. For example, a suburban strip mall in a heavily commercial area is more inviting at 2 o’clock in the morning than a small shop in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Vivint Smart Home says a good business security system can make even the most inviting locations unattractive to criminals. They cite video surveillance cameras as evidence. Criminals do not like cameras for obvious reasons. Approaching a business and seeing a bevy of cameras is enough to turn criminals around and send them in the other direction.

A Lack of Lighting

Yet another consideration is lighting. Given that most property crimes perpetrated against businesses occur after hours, lighting can mean the difference between keeping a business safe and allowing it to be victimized. It boils down to the simple fact that criminals do not want to get caught.

Poorly lit commercial buildings are more attractive targets because they allow criminals to do what they do under the cover of darkness. On the other hand, a brightly illuminated commercial property is a more difficult target. Where there is light, there is a greater risk of criminal activity being observed by passersby.

In the end, criminals target certain kinds of businesses because these make easier targets and offer either cash or easily sold goods. This is what it boils down to. The key to avoiding being victimized is to offer as much resistance as possible. The more resistance offered the more likely criminals will move on to other targets.

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