State-of-the-art security systems are great crime deterrents at both your home and business, but as many in the jeweler industry know, these gadgets are can be costly.
While some level of physical and electronic security components is necessary, the final component of a well-rounded security strategy won’t cost you a dime.
These home security tips for jewelers focus on procedural security – or the actions that you take on a day-to-day or prolonged basis that can have a powerful impact on your safety.
Home Security Tips for Jewelers
- Place generic license plates on your vehicles and avoid placing any uniquely identifying stickers (i.e. auto dealers, your children’s school) on your vehicles that will attract attention or assist a criminal to positively identify you as a jeweler and more easily follow you.
- Don’t bring jewelry home with you. Your merchandise is for your business and bringing it home presents unnecessary risk to your family.
- Additionally, avoid taking a briefcase home. Even if it only contains paperwork, criminals who could be casing you can’t see what’s inside and may assume you’re carrying jewelry.
- Plan and vary your route when traveling to and from your business, and drive defensively. Remain alert and aware of any/all suspicious individual(s), vehicle(s) or situations you encounter in transit. Use appropriate countermeasures or planned alternate routes when necessary.
- Never have any jewelry industry publications or business mail sent to your home address. Instead, have them sent to your business or a post-office box.
- Don’t hide your house key under your doormat, in the mailbox, or any other “secret” hiding place a typical person may use. Play it safe and leave your key with a trusted neighbor.
- Don’t list your personal phone number in a phone book and be especially aware if it can be searched online. Be diligent and make sure you’re not searchable.
- Have your cell phone charged and available within an arm’s reach at all times. Consider using other forms of communication too (i.e. messaging apps), in case the criminals block your signal or cut your phone lines.
- Make sure that the valuable items in your home have ID numbers that can be referenced if they are ever stolen.
- Keep purses, wallets, money, jewelry, and other valuable items out of sight at all times.
- If you’re not wearing your jewelry, store it in your locked and alarmed safe. If you find that there are pieces of jewelry you own that are not worn frequently, consider storing these items in a safe-deposit box.
- If one of your family members happens to be a canine, train it to bark at unknown individuals. This can warn you of intruders, as well as intimidate would-be burglars.
- Just like a crime prevention network between you and other local jewelers and business owners, consider starting and/or supporting a neighborhood watch program.
- You should already have a working relationship with your local police department to keep an eye on your business. Remember to also ask the police to keep an eye on your home.
- Keep your doors locked at all times, even when you are home.
- Don’t open the door to delivery people or unexpected visitors.
- If you’re away on vacation, ask the same neighbor you entrusted with your spare key to pick up mail and deliveries. Seek the help of an equally trusted service company to cut your lawn or shovel snow. Don’t forget to keep your automatic timers on to give the appearance that you are indeed home and check in with your neighbor and police to see if there have been any security concerns.
- Regularly review your security plan with your family and share these tips with them.
The good news is that you probably already accomplish some of these tips in your regular routine. For instance, the thought of leaving your house without a charged cell phone or charging device could make anyone shudder. You may also already have different routes planned to get to and from work if the traffic is bad.
What you should do is go back through the list and identify the areas where your practices are weakest, which ones have the largest overall impact on your safety, and which ones are the easiest behaviors to change.
For example, training your dog to be alert for criminals could have a major impact on your safety, but you might not see your hard work pay off for a few months. On the other hand, remembering to lock your doors at all times might have nearly equal effectiveness, but is solely reliant on practicing the habit – something that can be accomplish in a short time if you’re diligent.
Remember, these home security tips for jewelers aren’t effective in isolation. You need to practice your procedural security along with both physical security and electronic security at your home, as well as at your business.