How to Prepare your Business for the Busy Christmas Period

For many businesses, Christmas can be their busiest time of year. Shops and supermarkets are bustling with Christmas shoppers. Restaurants and bars are full of celebrating patrons. Even train stations and airports are buzzing with seasonal travellers.

Whether you work in retail, hospitality, beauty, or travel, you’ll no doubt know just how busy Christmas time can be. You’ll also know how important it is to plan and prepare for the festive season. Play your cards right and your business could have a very merry Christmas. Get it wrong and you could be looking at a nightmare before Christmas instead.

But did you know that having the right security in place should also be a part of your Christmas strategy?

Here at Churchill Support Services, we want your business to have the best Christmas yet. That’s why we’re sharing our top tips on how your business should prepare for the Christmas period.

Crime Doubles in December

It’s sad but true that crime often spikes during the Christmas period, with criminals taking advantage of everything from unoccupied buildings to crowded retail stores. According to research commissioned by Verisure, the amount of Burglaries doubles in the UK from November to December.

Whilst homeowners are starkly aware of the need to protect their homes at Christmas, this increase in crime could also leave your business out of pocket and mean you end up kicking off the new year with an insurance mess. Criminals could take advantage of long nights, quieter buildings, or busier periods to strike your property, assets or even employees.

Protecting Your Business Is Key

If you’re worried about the safety of your business during the festive season, there are things you can do to help minimise risk and give you peace of mind. At Churchill Support Services, we always recommend hiring a professional security provider; the quality will be there, the guards will have the correct qualifications and you can count on them to protect your business.

When it comes to the type of security service, there’s a wide range of security solutions on offer. From security officers and canine security to CCTV and alarm response solutions, there’s truly something out there to suit every business type. Let’s take a closer look at how you could protect your business this Christmas.

Retail

It’s safe to say that the Christmas period is one of the busiest times of year for the retail sector. It may be great being so busy (more customers mean more sales) but the crowds can also make it harder to monitor your store for shoplifters and thieves… and you may find that you end up losing more stock than goes through the till.

Security Suggestions: If you’re looking to protect your retail business from shoplifting and theft, there are things you can do to protect your store. Hiring extra retail security guards to monitor your store is an effective way to protect your business, your shoppers and your stock. This will ensure that there’s professional security on hand to deal with all instances of shoplifting and that your employees can get on with their job- without having to keep an eye out for shoplifters.

Hospitality

Pubs, bars, and restaurants all experience a boom during the festive period; people want to hit the town and celebrate. This is especially true during ‘Black eye Friday’. Usually the last Friday before Christmas, ‘Black eye Friday’ is the chance for workers to let down their hair after payday. It got its colloquial name, however, from the fights that tend to happen after people have had one too many. Christmas time can be a profitable time for the sector but rowdy behaviour can make life hard for hospitality staff. There’s also recently been a concerning increase in spiking at places like bars, pubs and clubs, which leave patrons vulnerable to crime.

Security Suggestions: For hospitality businesses looking to protect staff and patrons from crime, hiring additional door supervision security could be the best option. Door supervisor licenced security officers can help control access to your establishment, checking IDs, bags or tickets and ensuring that any aggressive or dangerous behaviour is dealt with appropriately. Opting for a mix of male and female officers is advisable to ensure that all eventualities are covered and that women feel better protected in these spaces.

Events

With everything from Christmas markets and funfairs to light switch ons and Christmas parties, it’s safe to say that Christmas is a time for big events. Whether you’re planning a large public event or a smaller private affair, you’ll probably need to think about security provision to help keep your guest, workers or general public safe. Big outdoor events could be a prime target for theft or even terrorism, whilst smaller parties could mean dealing with drunk and disorderly guests.

Security Suggestions: The security you’ll need will no doubt depend on your type of event. For smaller indoor events, door supervisors or on-site security officers can help to ensure your event runs smoothly, monitoring access to your event and dealing with any security incidents that occur.

Larger outdoor events could benefit from things like mobile patrols, canine teams, and temporary CCTV; solutions that can help you monitor vast areas effectively. Security dogs are particularly helpful at sniffing out drugs or explosives, whilst temporary CCTV can be erected to monitor outdoor areas.

Transport Hubs

Airports and train stations can also experience a festive rush, with people travelling on a Christmas getaway or to see friends and family for the holidays. Yet crime at transport hubs can also be an issue. Delays or disruption can result in unhappy travellers, who may become angry or aggressive at staff. Transport hubs also have to be vigilant for terrorism or drug smuggling, keeping a watchful eye out for any suspicious behaviour.

Security Suggesions: To help manage the higher passenger rate over the holiday season, your transport hub may need to consider increasing the on-site security presence. You’ll no doubt already have numerous security measures in place but increasing on-site security guards and officers could help to take the pressure off existing staff this festive season. Hiring extra SIA licensed security officers will ensure you have enough security staff to deal with the increased crowds and help ensure that your passengers and workforce are protected from crime.

Empty Buildings

While the festive period is a busier time for some businesses, for others, things can wind down at Christmas. Many office employees decide to take time off around the holidays and there’s a lot of bank holidays during the festive period, so many businesses try and get by with a skeleton staff. This can mean that your building is quieter than usual or even left vacant for days, increasing the risk of crimes like burglaries and vandalism.

Security Suggestions: If you’re looking to protect your business during the festive period, implementing the appropriate security measures is a must. For larger office buildings, on-site security officers could be the ideal solution to protect your business and prevent break-ins. For smaller businesses, an alarm response service could do the trick, ensuring there’s always professional security staff on hand to investigate any and all alarm triggers.

Are You Looking to Protect Your Business This Christmas?

If so, get in touch with Churchill Support Services today. We can provide a range of short-term and long-term security services to help protect your business this festive season- and well into 2022. Simply contact our team to find out more about our services or to simply chat to someone who knows their stuff about protecting businesses just like yours.

Why Choose Churchill Support Services?

If you’re looking for security services in your area of the UK, Churchill Support Services should be at the top of your list. We can provide bespoke security solutions to businesses of all types, no matter where you’re based.

SIA Licensed Officers

Did you know that it’s against the law to carry out licensable activities without an SIA licence? Here at Churchill Support Services, we ensure that all our guards and officers hold a full and valid SIA licence. This means that your business can count on us to deliver highly trained security guards and an exceptional service.

Wide Range of Services

We understand that every business will have unique security requirements. That’s why we can offer a wide range of security services, cleaning solutions and facilities management. When you choose Churchill as your dedicated provider, we’ll get to know your business and its security needs, providing a highly personalised solution to keep your property, people and assets protected.

A Qualified Service

We’re proud to be recognised by professional industry leaders through our partnerships and accreditations. Together, these reflect our ambition to operate in the most responsible, safe and professional way, and to provide the best possible service to our clients.

Churchill Support Services is ranked in the top 1% of ACS approved contractors with our services being recognised as industry-leading, so you know that we’re a trusted and reputable player in the security industry.

Churchill Support Services is a leading cross-industry corporate services company, supplying professional and comprehensive security solutions and electronic systems to businesses across the UK.

To find out more about how Churchill Support Services can support your business, get in touch with us today.