The business body London First has launched the Safer Spaces self-assessment scheme. It writes:
The success of your business depends on many things but one is providing a safe and secure environment for your customers, employees and visitors. Without good security, and the trust which flows from it, your staff, premises and the space around you will be at a disadvantage compared to your competitors – and could lose you money.
Yet, there has so far been a regrettable absence of a recognised scheme to help businesses, particularly small businesses, identify the key elements that contribute to making a safe and secure space. Now there is one, and free.
A panel of experts and professionals from business and the police, led by London First with support from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), has created a self-assessment survey tool for businesses across London. The Scheme will to help you assess your risks and to provide ideas on how best to mitigate them. Details can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/saferspaces.
The key features of the survey tool are:
•It is easy to use;
•It can be completed fairly quickly;
•It will enable you to assess your risks and prioritise the most important ones;
•It provides easy to follow advice on how to respond to weaknesses you identify;
•It incorporates a range of things you can do, often without incurring costs, to improve the security of your business.
In fact, you can complete the survey in about 15 minutes. It could be time well spent. Completion will enable you to make better choices and hence make the right decisions and plans to improve your security. By the end, you will have a better appreciation of how safe your business is as well as an understanding of risks in the surrounding area. If you need help or advice then you should turn in the first instance to your local Business Crime Reduction Partnership which the local police will help you contact. Should you need to contact a security provider then having completed the Scheme will give you a good basis for discussing risks and responses.
The scheme does not commit you to other work if that is your preference. However, if you feel you want to advance your safety and security measures still further, then there’s the nationally recognised and accredited ‘Secured Environments’ scheme: www.securedenvironments.com.
One of the trial sites was the National Theatre on the South Bank. Tony Read, former Head of Security at the National Theatre and chair of the South Bank Business Watch said: “I’m pleased to announce that we are supporting MOPAC’s Business Crime Strategy in the delivery of the Safe Spaces Self Accreditation Scheme. The tool was designed by London First in collaboration with SBEG, SBBW, Safer London, Met Police, and others, to assist small/medium sized businesses to better understand and improve the safety, security and resilience of their business. The tool is, however, useful for all and it can easily form part of your annual security health check.”
