Retail Security Systems: Traditional Systems vs. SmokeCloak

Retail Security Systems: Traditional Systems vs. SmokeCloak

Retail crime is becoming an increasing problem in the UK and, as a result, retail security systems are being put under the microscope. According to the British Retail Consortium, the direct financial cost of retail crime in the UK throughout 2016 was £660 million, £438 million of which arose from customer theft. The problem is worsened by recent government policing cuts meaning that police are less able to respond to burglaries, as their resources are being increasingly invested into other matters, such as counter-terrorism. In 2016, 15% of retailers rated police performance in dealing with retail crime as either “poor” or “very poor”. With police response lacking, it is important that retailers themselves do everything possible to protect their businesses against crime within the industry. With that in mind, we are looking to find the best retail security systems for the job, from traditional systems to a newer and more contemporary alternative, SmokeCloak.
 
Traditional Retail Security Systems
 
Intruder Alarm
 
Intruder alarms are becoming increasingly redundant in modern society. Firstly, they are so regularly set off when no break-in has taken place that they now operate in a “boy who cried wolf” fashion, whereby people assume, even when an alarm is sounding, that it is probably a false alarm and no crime is actually taking place. This means that, nowadays, intruder alarms fail to draw sufficient attention to a break-in.
 
Furthermore, if the intruder alarm does successfully draw attention to the break-in, it is then reliant on a key-holder or the police to go and deal with it. Unfortunately, the average intruder only spends 3-5 minutes on-site after they break-in which means that, by the time you or the police arrive, the thieves are long gone and they’ve already taken your stock with them.
 
SmokeCloak, however, floods the premises with an impenetrable cloud of fog as soon as the break-in occurs, rendering the criminals blind. Unable to steal anything due to their temporary lack of sight, the intruders will then flee the premises empty-handed. As a result of this, SmokeCloak has been proven to prevent 95% of losses, unlike a conventional security alarm, which still allows the thieves to escape with your stock.
 
CCTV

CCTV can successfully alert you to a break-in, but only if it is monitored 24/7. Even if this is the case, the same applies as that with intruder alarms; it is still nigh-on impossible to get to the premises before the intruders have made their escape with your stock.
 
If the CCTV is not monitored, it can then only be used retroactively to identify the criminals, which is almost impossible given that most will anticipate this and disguise their faces, making it very difficult to make a positive ID.
 
SmokeCloak, however, has pioneered a concept known as “SmokeCloak DNA”. Within the fog that is deployed in the break-in is a unique DNA code, which will latch on to anyone who happens to be in the premises in that time. Therefore, anyone who breaks-in and sets off the smoke, even if they manage to escape before the police arrive, can be later swabbed for this unique code, directly linking them to the scene of the crime.
 
SmokeCloak: The Security System Protecting Retail
 
As traditional retail security systems become increasingly obsolete, SmokeCloak is taking the reigns in protecting the retail industry where other systems fail to do so. SmokeCloak protects 95% of losses and gives you peace of mind that, even if you are the victim of a break-in, your stock will be protected. To get a quote for your premises, call 01604 839000, or visit http://www.smokecloak.co.uk/contact-us/.
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