The Dangers and Financial Risk of Commercial Robbery

Business owners and key employees should always be well aware of the dangers of robbery. While some businesses and locations are more prone to robbery than others, any business is susceptible to this crime. The legal definition of robbery is the taking of property or money. This can cause serious financial harm to a business, and it may affect traffic and customer’s interest in the business. It is important to know the statistics of robberies, too. By being informed with this information, business owners can take the necessary precautions to avoid this threat.

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Nationwide Robbery Statistics

A lot of people think of banks being the prime place where robberies occur. This is a misleading notion, as only 2.1% of the nation’s robberies occur at banks. Convenience stores are also commonly thought of as a top place for robbery. In fact, only 8.3% of robberies happen at gas stations, convenient stores and similar retail establishments. Almost half of all of the nation’s robberies do not affect businesses on their sites; 44.5% of robberies are one-on-one scenarios that occur on the streets. Many managers, and other associates carrying cash bank deposits are the most “at-risk” for robberies. Robberies are a very real threat nationwide and should be taken seriously. Business owners should take caution against robberies and be prepared for this very real and damaging threat.

What Regions are Affected Most by Robbery?

Different regions of the country have drastically different statistics when it comes to robberies. States in the Southern part of the country have the most robberies; a whopping 38.3% of the country’s robberies occur in this region. Western states come in second; they experience 23.6% of the nation’s robberies. The Northeastern and Midwestern states are least affected by robbery, with percentages of 18.5% and 19.5%. The amount of robberies is often correlated to highly population metropolitan areas.

What States Experiences the Most Robberies?

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While it is difficult to find which states experience the most business-related robberies, there are official statistics regarding the total number of robberies in each state. Regardless, business owners should be well informed about where robberies occur the most. California is the number one state affected by robberies with over 70,000 incidents occurring in 2006. Texas, New York and Florida all experienced over 30,000 robberies in 2006. North Dakota and Wyoming experience the least amount of robberies nationwide; each of these states experienced only 72 reported cases of robbery in 2006.

 

What are Some Preventative Measures against Commercial Theft?

We spoke to business insurance experts from Anthony Clark Insurance Brokerage in Calgary about what businesses can do to avoid becoming a victim of commercial theft. They provided us with some great tips which you can see below:

  • Ensure that all exterior doors have deadbolt locks with a minimum one inch bolt into the strike plate.
  • Secure exposed exterior door hinge pins to prevent their removal.
  • Protect all grade floor glass through the use of bars, metal screens or burglary resistant glazing materials.
  • Install a burglar alarm system which is monitored offsite.
  • Clamp or lock PCs to desks/work stations. Security kits are available at nominal cost.
  • Backup data and programs on a regular basis and store them offsite in a secure location.

These statistics are provided by the Bureau of Justice and CrimeDoctor.com’s section on robberies in the United States.

 

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