JSA President John Kennedy offers some tips.

The Jewelers Security Alliance has released a new video with tips on how to prevent burglaries.

In the clip, JSA President John Kennedy explains that burglary is “a huge issue for jewelers,” noting that in 2016 there were 287 burglaries of jewelry firms in the U.S.

Here are some of the tips offered by Kennedy:

• Don’t leave product out in cases overnight. Most burglaries involve jewelry being taken from cases, not safes or vaults, he said. “Our recommendation is that even low-end product should be put away either in drawers or cabinets overnight so that they’re not visible from the outside or people casing and will not be a temptation for people to break into your store,” he said.
• Use an alarm that covers “all points of your premises,” not just on safe or fron door. Burglars often enter businesses through a wall, the ceiling or an adjacent business.
• Get the right safe. Many jewelers use safes that are easy for burglars to open using common cutting tools. Kennedy recommends using a TRTL-30×6 safe. “You need protection on all six sides,” he said.
• Use laminated glass for your show window and any other glass entry points. And use protected frames; otherwise the glass might stay intact as the whole window falls in.
• Have good lighting in your store overnight.
• Respond to all alarm signals. Several people should be on the alarm company’s call list, in case the owner is unavailable. Don’t respond by going into the store alone; enter with the police.
• Test your alarm system regularly. “We find that sometimes alarm systems are simply not even functioning, or some part of it is not functioning, and neither the jeweler or the alarm company is aware of that condition,” Kennedy said.