I've owned and operated a convenience store in the same neighborhood for nearly 15 years and in that time, I've seen many changes take place around here. Unfortunately, most of the changes have been for the worse. For instance, things definitely aren't as safe in this area as they were back when I first opened the store. Back then, all I had was a basic alarm system wired to the front and back doors, and that setup worked well enough. But these days, I've had to take additional steps like installing outdoor security cameras to protect my property, my employees, and myself.
Obviously, the main benefit to having outdoor security cameras is that they help deter crime. Provided that the outdoor security cameras are placed in prominent positions around the store's exterior, would-be intruders usually choose to go elsewhere to perpetrate their crimes. To their thinking, it's much better to deal with a store that has a standard alarm system than to try to work their way around outdoor security cameras.
Another benefit that I've derived since installing outdoor security cameras around my store is that my monthly insurance premiums have dropped significantly. As a business owner, I have to carry a comprehensive policy to protect against a wide range of potentially damaging events and occurrences. Insurance policies for commercial property in areas like mine (where the crime rate escalates every year) are usually sky-high, so putting in outdoor security cameras in order to get a rate reduction was a very easy decision for me.
Since installing my outdoor security cameras, I haven't had any problems at the store at all. I am so grateful for this that I've kind of made it my personal mission to convince the other business owners in my neighborhood to do the same thing. So whenever I see a small shop or storefront that doesn't have any outdoor security cameras, I'll actually go in and speak to the owner if he or she is available. I tell them how well outdoor security cameras have worked for me, I mention the insurance discounts, and I even give them the website addresses of a few online retailers that sell discount video surveillance equipment. I do all of this because the fact of the matter is the more stores that have outdoor security cameras, the safer the entire neighborhood will be.
So far, it seems that my campaign is going pretty well. I've noticed that several of the store owners I've talked to have in fact gone ahead and purchased outdoor security cameras. There's still a long way to go, but I feel that I'm really making a difference in this respect. Maybe one day things will be as safe as they were when I first opened my shop doors all those years ago.
Richard Henderson lives in Las Vegas. Check out this great
Home Security Advice and resources site.
http://www.adviceforhome.com
