According to one estimate, dishonest employees account for about two-thirds of theft, with outsiders accounting for the other one-third. The best way to prevent theft is to install effective theft deterrents and to minimize the chance for dishonesty.

If you are in a position to do hiring, you must run a conscientious reference check on every new employee. No security measure is more important than this.

The trick is to take every precaution to ensure that the people you work with are honest to begin with. Then, take pains to maintain the kind of climate that will encourage them to stay honest.

As a co-worker, you can keep your eyes open for unusual behavior patterns such as early or late activity in normally unused rooms, doors left unlocked, windows left open, or unusual movements of computing or audio-visual equipment.

We can all shoot for excellence of conduct and performance. Because people respect high standards, you should not settle for less. They also tend to copy the individuals who set such standards and require that they be met.

It remains very important to remove the temptation to steal. By removing the opportunity to steal, half the battle is won.

Prevention must start with you . . .

Among the things you can use to protect yourself from losses are:

Suitable locks,
Key control,
An appropriate alarm system,
Adequate indoor and outside lighting, and
Reinforced security in high-risk areas.

Be sure to use the right kind of lock on your doors. In addition to being an obstacle to unwanted entry, a strong lock requires a burglar to use force to penetrate a doorway. Most experts on locks agree that the pin-tumbler cylinder lock provides the best security. It may have from 3 to 7 pins. Locksmiths caution, however, that a burglar can easily pick a lock with less than 5 pins. 

Dead bolt locks should be used. They cannot be opened by sliding a piece of flexible material between the door edge and door jamb (Dead bolt is a lock bolt that is moved positively by turning the knob or keywithout action of a spring).

When you use a double cylinder dead lock, the door cannot be opened without a key on either side. Such a lock also provides protection against "break-outs" --a thief being concealed before closing time and breaking out with stolen goods.

Safeguarding entrance ways, especially the rear door, cannot be over emphasized. Where possible, bar the rear door, in addition to locking it, because many burglars favor back doors, and they make good exits for people trying to leave without attracting attention.

Key Control

To keep keys from falling into the hands of thieves, issue as few keys as possible. Keep a record on the keys you issue. Exercise the same care with keys as you would a thousand dollar bill. Do the following:

Avoid the danger of key duplication. Be careful not to leave keys with parking lot attendants, or in a topcoat hanging in a restaurant, or lying about the office.
Keep your records on key distribution up-to-date so that you know what keys have been issued to whom.
Whenever a key is lost or an employee leaves without turning in his or her key, consider re-keying your locks.
Take special care to protect the "master key" used to remove cylinders from locks.
Have one key and lock for outside doors and a different key and lock for your office. Don't master-key because it weakens your security.
Have a code for each key so that it does not have to be visibly tagged and only an authorized person can know the specific lock that key fits. Don't use a key chain with a tag carrying the address.
Take a periodic inventory of keys. Have personnel show you each key so you will know it has not been lost, mislaid, or lent.

Burglar Alarms

If you can consider an alarm, the silent central-station burglary alarm system gives you the best protection. The reason: It does not notify the burglar as does a siren or bell. A silent alarm alerts only the specialists who know how to handle burglaries.

In large cities, central alarm systems are available on a rental basis from private firms; in small cities, they are often tied directly into police headquarters. Part of the cost for installing a silent alarm system will sometimes be defrayed by a reduction in your burglary insurance premium.

Although a building-type local alarm is cheaper and easier to install, it too often only warns the thief and is not considered by specialists to be as effective as a central station alarm. Of course, if no central alarm service system is available, or such an alarm is not economically feasible, then by all means install a building alarm.

Whether your alarm is central or local, you have a wide choice of alarm sensing devices. Among them are radar motion detectors, invisible photo beams, detectors that work on ultrasonic sound, and vibration detectors. Also there is supplemental equipment, such as an automatic phone dialer. This phones you and the police, and gives verbal warning when an alarm is breached.Each type of alarm has advantages in certain situations. You should seek professional guidance to get the best alarm for your needs.

Effective Lighting

Almost all break-ins occur at night. Darkness conceals the thief and gives him or her time to work. By floodlighting the outside of your building on all sides you can defeat many burglars. Be sure to include alley entrances and side passageways between buildings where entry might be made.

Mercury and metallic vapor lamps are good for illuminating the exterior walls of a building. They are designed to withstand vandalism and weather-wind velocities up to 100 miles per hour. Some have a heat-tempered lens that cannot be broken with less than a 22 calibre rifle.

Indoor lighting is also important. When a building is lighted inside, police officers can see people or notice the disorder which burglars usually cause. When left dark, a burglar can see the police approaching, but police can't see the burglar. Police get to know the lighted areas and will check the premises when, and if, the light is off.

High-risk Locations

These areas have a reputation for crime. Because many windows are smashed on impulse, you should minimize the chance of loss. If possible, you should remove attractive and expensive items from view. Heavy Window Screens. Heavy metal window screens or grating are an inexpensive way to protect windows. They stop unwanted entry, while also preventing unauthorized exit from the building.

Burglar-Resistant Glass

When used in exterior doors, windows, display windows, and in interior showcases, this type of glass deters burglars. Burglar-resistant glass is a laminated sandwich with a sheet of invisible plastic compressed between two sheets of glass. It mounts like ordinary plate glass and comes in clear, tinted, and opaque.

Of course, this type of glass can be broken with continual hammering-as with a baseball bat or sledge hammer. But it will not shatter. The burglar who is patient enough to bang a hole in the glass will find it bordered by a barrier of jagged glass icicles.

Watchdogs

In larger cities, agencies offer watch dog service on a nominal hourly basis. Using these dogs on a spot check basis one or two nights a week can deter burglars. Word soon gets around that watchdogs are being used, and burglars will go elsewhwere.

Private Police Patrols

A private police patrol can be used to supplement the public police force when it is undermanned and overworked. A private patrol can discourage burglars by checking the buildings during the night. Sometimes private police may catch a burglar in the act; other times they can discover the break-in shortly after it occurs. In either case, their prompt notice to the police increases the likelihood of catching the culprit and recovering your merchandise and money. 

A private patrol is also qualified to testify on the building and room conditions prior to a crime. This sort of testimony expedites the payment of insurance claims. In disaster, such as a flood or riot, private police can initiate emergency measures. Private patrols can also help you train your people, reveal unlocked doors, open windows, and other signs of employee carelessness or misappropriation which can be corrected.