SEEING YOUR LAUNDRY THROUGH THE EYES OF A BURGLAR

Laundry operators generally will simply respond to threats to the security of their business after they have been robbed and the damage has been done. However, good and successful business people are proactive rather than reactive. You know that from reading the News, The Journal and other industry publications that your business can become a target for thieves and vandals. In fact, you may already be on a target list. Even being located in the nicest neighborhood is no guarantee of safety. The time to get into the act is before someone creates an expensive problem for your bottom line and your insurance rate. We propose that you walk around the premises and examine your business closely. Take a notebook and record the where and what or sight of any weaknesses you see in your security set up. For example, what about the entry door locks to your laundry? Are these good, high quality security locks? Would they be easy to pick or easily forced? Besides yourself, how many people have keys? Does this include former owners, service people or former employees? Or, do you even know? Aside from entry doors, look to see if there are any weak spots where someone could break in without too much effort. Notice if there are blind corners or other places where someone could enter unseen. Look above the ceiling tiles to see if there are places where a crook might break in by first entering neighboring businesses and going between the spaces to attack your machines and bill changers. Once you have done this examination, decide what to do about it. Where there are weaknesses, decide on the best way to prevent a loss. The second hand sale of used baby and lady''s clothing was the principal business of this shop. They had little in it to steal and therefore were not too concerned with security for their business. But the laundry next door did. Those wanting to get at the change machine and coin boxes of the laundry couldn''t force open the laundry''s back door. They tried and failed. It was dented but stood firm. So they broke down the shop''s back entry door and climbed up to go though the ceiling tiles to work on the laundry. The crawl space connected between the businesses. However, one of the ceiling tiles fell into the laundry space, setting off a klaxon horn energized by a motion alarm. Then all hell broke loose. The klaxon horn was hung just beneath the under roof, which made it even louder where the thieves were between the tiles and the roof. When they were finally caught, one had a broken eardrum, and the other was complaining about headaches. That''s an example of why operators should consider whether or not to introduce an alarm system into the prevention mix. A typical alarm system will cover the bill change machines with internal motion detectors. It will also include detectors covering the doors and the customer spaces. The cost for monitoring usually is less than $50 a month. When the alarm goes off, they call the police and you at home. Even if it fails to prevent a break in, it reduces the loss because the bad guys tend to panic when there are loud sounds and the cops may be on their way. They get out as fast as they can. To secure a monitoring contract, most alarm companies offer you the control boxes and detectors free. They are already doing alarm monitoring, so the cost to them to add your laundry is small. So while it''s still cheap enough, it''s highly profitable for them. There may be some installation cost to cover the labor for the installation. Usually that''s less than $100 for a medium sized laundry. These systems do require having a phone line, but since most laundries already have a phone for the owner''s convenience, it shouldn''t be any additional expense. Even if you add alarms, it may be wise to reinforce weak spots. Where there is an old lock, replace it. If your laundry''s rear door is weak, add on a security bar. Most outer doors open outward, and they will have a jamb which, if strong enough, will keep them from being kicked in. If your doors are two way, make sure you have a double lock system to keep them secure. The object should be to make it difficult to break into quietly. If it requires making a lot of noise to break in, then maybe they won''t even try. Take the time to thoroughly examine the laundry''s security strengths and weaknesses. Look at things through the eyes of a burglar. Guess at what tools they would try to use and about how long it would take to get at your change machine money and the money in your machine coin boxes. Is there anything you can add to them to make them more difficult to force open? A few minutes of looking over your own place of business, plus spending a little time planning your defense, could save thousands of dollars in damages and loss in the future. Maybe you''ve been lucky so far, and you''re not concerned. If you''re not ready, you will be hit. Count on it.