WHEN A JEWELER’S store alarm is activated, it signifies the store owner’s livelihood may be jeopardized. Store alarms are activated based on criminal activity or sometimes false alarms. Regardless of the cause for activated alarms, response to every activated alarm is critical. Alarms not responded to can put jewelry store owners’ safety at risk and their business in danger.
In 2020, jewelry and precious metals worth about $837.91 million were stolen in the United States. Only about 3 percent of the total value of stolen jewelry and precious metals was recovered in the same year. Most criminal activity is well planned: When an alarm is activated, many criminals wait to see what response, if any, occurs. If a jeweler visits his store after an alarm is activated, it could result in a dangerous situation if a criminal is armed.
Many activated alarms do not receive a response from personnel, likely due to multiple activations in a short timeframe or the same alarm occurring on consecutive nights. When 95 percent of jewelry store alarms are false — forcing law enforcement to impose high fees to the jeweler or only respond upon confirmation of a human present — how can security responses truly protect jewelers’ livelihoods?
Alarm response programs can afford jewelers the luxury of reinvesting in their business, peace of mind knowing their risk for loss is mitigated, and relief in feeling safe and protected. The less time jewelers spend worrying about security, the more time they can focus on other areas of their business.
Enlisting in an alarm response program ensures all activated alarms are responded to, investigated, and reported by trained security officers. This professional security response also serves as a deterrent to criminal activity and only brings in law enforcement when suspicious activity is detected, preventing costly fines in the event of false alarms.
In the situation of a jewelry store being cased, having a marked security vehicle along with a uniformed officer respond every time is invaluable to the jeweler and their business. After every response, a security officer communicates the outcome to the monitoring company, who in turn notifies the jeweler so they are aware of all the details.
Jewelers should educate themselves on the benefits of implementing an alarm response program to help them make informed business and security decisions. Alarm response programs that ensure a trained security officer will respond to any type of alarm security breach, threat or concern will help mitigate risk and protect the livelihood of a jeweler’s business.