The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has recently released a free guide to aid the retail sector in understanding access control systems.
The retail sector faces security threats from shoplifting to organised crime, and these risks can be increased by the heavy footfall brought on by mid-season sales.
Mike Sussman, chairman of the BSIA’s Access Control Section, pictured, says: “The benefits of access control systems in this sector are vast. Retail environments have a number of factors to consider when securing their premises – including valuable stock, cash and a number of employees working varied shift patterns. Access control systems can provide reliable and cost effective solutions to ensure that these goods and people are kept secure.”
In 2012, the BSIA surveyed its members to discover their involvement in securing the retail industry over the past year. This research identified some interesting trends. Over 85 per cent of respondents said that the use of private security measures within the retail sector had either remained static or increased over the previous 12 months. Interestingly, 65pc of respondents also believed that a further increase was to be expected this year.
In light of these results, this new guide serves to highlight how influential access control systems can be in managing known or anticipated threats within retail. Such systems can also be used to monitor and manage the areas of a premises that personnel can access, and since the trade association’s survey found theft by employees to be a very real threat to retail, these systems can also offer peace of mind to store managers.
In fact, access control can provide a variety of benefits including time and attendance management, fire roll call technology and when integrated with other security systems, such as CCTV, can ensure maximum protection of a premises.
To put these benefits into perspective, this guide includes case studies from member companies in the BSIA’s Access Control Section with experience within the retail sector.
Mike adds: “Members of the access control section have a wealth of experience in securing a wide range of industries, and having been inspected to high quality British and European standards, there is no question that we represent the best of the industry.” The guide can be downloaded free, from the BSIA’s website.
To find out more about access control visit http://www.bsia.co.uk/access-control/about-bsia-access-control.
