How to protect your cannabis store from a robbery
Cannabis stores are popping up everywhere they’re legal, and these new cannabis businesses are booming, but there has been a noticeable trend that is worrying some owners and investors. Robbery and theft are serious concerns for many retail locations, which are openly advertised, easy to spot, and seemingly viewed as targets by criminals.
There are many reasons behind this long line of incidents, with the first and most influential being the easy target that a business becomes when it can’t rely on banks to protect cash, and we need to work to change the laws surrounding how these transactions happen to help. Still, high-profile pot shops will likely always be appealing to criminals looking to cash in on a fast grab because they house expensive products that are incredibly easy to sell on the black market.
That is why it is important for all cannabis business owners to proceed with caution while setting up shop and actively conducting business, but the best steps to take aren’t always clear. Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution that can guarantee to prevent robbery and protect such a substantial investment, but to help, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most widely used tips and tricks that can improve security from right across the cannabis industry.
1. Location is everything
Of course, not every dispensary owner or cannabis producer has much of a choice when it comes to location, as these things need to be approved by municipalities, neighbours, and zoning bylaws or restrictions, but the location of a business can have a huge impact on its likelihood of becoming the target for crime. High traffic, well-lit, and easily accessible areas are often the best solution.
2. Cameras
You can’t do much of anything these days without a camera catching it because they’re everywhere. We use them to monitor traffic, business, households, and streets, and there is quite a bit of scientific evidence to suggest that it works to cut down on crime. When people know they’re being watched or recorded, they’re much less likely to act out, a theory that can work to a cannabis store's advantage with nothing more than a few indoor/outdoor cameras.
3. An active alarm system
If you really want to protect your investments, then an active and easily triggered alarm system is worth its weight in gold. Those monthly subscriptions for recordings and live responses from alarm companies can be a little bit expensive, but it’s that kind of fast action that can make the difference between a successful robbery and one that’s stopped while it happens.
4. Hire a security guard
Cameras work as an excellent deterrent for some criminals, but unfortunately, not all of them are so unmotivated by their presence alone because a camera can’t intervene in a crime or chase down a suspect. A real-life security guard, on the other hand, combined with a camera, is enough to amplify the effectiveness of watching technology, so you, an owner might want to have at least one on staff both day and night.
5. Hire employees that you can trust
Cannabis comes with a bit of a taboo, which can make finding people who are trustworthy to staff a dispensary even more challenging to find, but this is an essential step in keeping your business safe from robbery. Often, it’s employees who hold sensitive information about weak points or windows of time where a company is vulnerable, so it is essential to ensure that those who know this can be trusted completely, and for that requiring a clean criminal record is a good place to start.
6. Re-enforce protection surrounding the most expensive products
Legal cannabis stores often adopt more modern layouts and designs made to look clean while offering a close-up view of just about everything they have to offer. It makes sense that customers will want to interact with cannabis products to some extent before buying but leaving everything out in the open makes it easy to access for everyone, including criminals. That’s why it’s a good idea to add reinforced protection like locked viewing cases or lockers behind the counter to house all but one sample product.
7. Install bars over windows and doors
This might sound and even look a little bit extreme, and we all hope that a business will never need such things, but the reality is that every added layer of protection could save a dispensary owner thousands of dollars in the long run. Bars make it so that it takes a lot more effort than smashing the fragile glass to gain entry, buying you and law enforcement precious time that could prevent losses.
8. Maintain a low inventory
Every retail store aims to carry as much product as physically possible because it just makes sense. Transportation in bulk is cheaper, and customers never leave the premises unsatisfied, but it puts a lot of investment into one hardly attended business throughout all hours of the night. Therefore, many dispensaries carry only what they need, a delicate balance of not running out without holding onto too much overstock.
9. Remove all cash from the premises regularly
We mentioned the issue with banking, something that plagues even the most careful legal cannabis businesses, and the reason that it’s a problem is that it leaves all of the revenue in cash and stored in an obvious location for undetermined lengths of time. This is one of the easiest things for criminals to steal, and unlike pot products, cash doesn’t need to be sold or exchanged, so it’s impossible to track. For these reasons, all money should be frequently removed from the store.
10. Invest in a vault
It’s hard to prevent someone from entering your business, especially at night when you’re likely too far to react quickly, but with a vault, small valuable items and cash can be stored safely on-premises making it inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t hold the key. This works for functional hours when money is actively pouring in and for overnight hours, in preparation for the times when the area is least protected, and though they can be expensive, they can save owners a small fortune in the end.
