No one wants to believe that their business may be robbed, but unfortunately, the risk is all too real, and the sense of violation that comes after a robbery can be strong.

It can be hard to know what to do if you’re ever in this situation, but to help you out, we’ve put together a basic guide of the top things you should do during and after a robbery, along with a few key tips that may help you to better safeguard your business against this kind of attack.

What to Do During a Robbery

If your store, office, or another place of work is robbed, you need to know how to respond to the situation. Make sure you’re aware of how to behave during a robbery to ensure both your safety and the safety of any employees or customers on-site at the time. This behavior can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Try to pull the alarm if you can do so without increasing risk to yourself, your customers, or your employees.
• Remain calm. This can help put the robbers at ease and reduce any safety risks you may be facing.
• Follow the robber’s commands. Don’t fight against them unnecessarily or introduce more tension to an already stressed situation.
• Do not try to be a hero. This will likely end in a disaster far more often than in diffusing the situation.
• Do not make any sudden movements.
• Note the weapon being used and never assume weapons are unloaded.
• Pay attention to everything, and try to remember everything you can about the situation to later report to the police. Note details about the robber’s height, weight, skin color, clothing, accent, tattoos, piercings, birthmarks, and other identifying features.

What to Do After a Robbery

From contacting the police to retaining witnesses and filing your insurance reports, there are several things you need to do after a robbery occurs. Let’s take a closer look at each one to help you better understand how best to respond.

Call the Police

Whether you’re present or not when a robbery occurs, the first thing you need to do when you become aware a theft has happened is notify the proper authorities. 

Note Details About the Robbers

Make sure you take note of anything you can recall about the robbers or the robbery. You may forget specific details when you’re recounting the incident to the police later if you don’t write down what you remember for reference.

Ask Witnesses to Stay

If you had any employees or customers in your place of business at the time of the robbery, ask them to stay and wait for the authorities to arrive. Others may remember details about the incident that you didn’t notice, and they may be able to help paint a more full picture of the perpetrators so that the police can apprehend them.

Secure the Scene

It’s very important that you don’t let anyone disturb the crime scene before the police arrive. Don’t worry about starting clean-up efforts, grabbing your items, or otherwise messing with potential evidence. Leave everything alone and don’t let anyone else tamper with the scene because this may result in evidence being lost. 

Additionally, if there are any dangers apparent on the scene like broken glass, keeping people away from the area can better protect you from personal injury claims later.

Don’t Discuss the Crime

One of your first instincts after calling the police may be to call employees, friends, or family members to let them know what’s going on. And while you are free to let people know what’s happened at your business, don’t discuss details about the crime–especially with the media or online.

Take special care not the mention the exact monetary value of what was stolen as this is information that should only be shared between you and the police.

File an Insurance Claim

Once you’ve settled the situation with the authorities to the best of your abilities, go ahead and call your insurance company to let them know what has happened. Work with your agent to determine the potential extent of damages and send them any copies of paperwork or video footage you may have.

Your insurance company may require an adjuster to come to your location to evaluate damages and determine the best course of action for the situation. Make sure you know your specific insurance provider’s basic process for dealing with crime-related claims so that you’re not overwhelmed if this situation ever happens to you.

How to Preemptively Reduce Your Robbery Risk

Fortunately, there are several ways you can preemptively reduce your robbery risk. That way you can better protect your property, employees, and customers. Let’s look at a few key safety measures you can implement now.

Don’t Keep Extra Cash in the Office

The more cash you have on hand, the higher your potential risk is for robbery. You may have faith in your employees and customers to be honest, but keep in mind that if you leave unsecured money on your property, you may be increasing the temptation others may face.

Invest in a Good Security System

If you have solid security systems in place including video cameras, motion-activated lights, and alarms, you can greatly reduce your risk of robbery. And even if your business is still robbed, you’ll have video footage of the incident to give to the police.

Keep in the Know on Crime Stats

Make sure you stay aware of current crime statistics in your area. If there has been an uptick in robberies, thefts, and break-ins among other businesses in your area, consider hiring security guards or implementing stronger safety measures to dissuade criminals from targeting your business.

Have the Right Insurance

If your business is robbed, you may lose more than just the cash you have on hand. You may have to deal with property damages, loss of equipment, or a whole host of other problems. You can mitigate some of this risk by investing in the right insurance options ahead of time. That way, you can recoup a portion of your losses if something goes wrong.

Call us today to ask about policies we offer that may help you better protect your business against robberies and related damages–we’d love to help you however we can.