PROVIDING SAFER WAYS TO FIGHT CRIME

ARMED robbery can be an emotionally and financially shattering experience for business owners, many of whom see no alternative but to cut material losses or risk injury by trying to be a hero.

However, Dynamic Currency Solutions (DCS) warns getting physical with criminals can be futile.

“Martial arts look great in Hollywood but in real-life situations there are workplace health and safety issues, especially if staff get hurt after trying what they learnt from a $2 class at the Police-Citizens Youth Club,” says DCS director Adam Wright (pictured).

“In many cases the worker’s compensation bill can be higher than the cost of theft itself, so even if I could get Jet Li to work for me I would not hire him.”

Wright suggests it is better to encourage criminals to leave as quickly as possible.

“Compliance is the best option. Our consulting service advises setting up markers on walls to help judge the offender’s height, so you can provide police with as much information as possible,” he says.

“It may not be possible to stop attacks, but you can make your business seem too hard to rob with barrier protection systems that stop people from jumping across the counter and signage warning of security systems in place.”

Co-director Matthew Olding recommends installing a Counter Cash Intelligent (CCI) system, which counts money and seals it in a tamper-proof bag to minimise theft or misappropriation of funds.

“We have helped a pharmacy in northern Brisbane resolve issues with cash build-up in their tills. They did not have enough time to empty them and used to remove money from their safe, spread it on a table out the back and do their banking while serving customers,” he says.

“However, the networked CCI system directly reports cash levels to their PC, saving them up to two hours a day on cash reconciliation and counting. It also has an event audit log report for further transparency.”

CCI systems each cost about $4000 or can be leased for a tax-deductable $6.50 a day, including cash bags and hardware upgrades once every three years.

“We help SMEs come to terms with cash management and reap benefits that big businesses have,” says Olding.