> Taking proactive security measures in and around your workplace or business can deter would-be offenders, and significantly improve the safety of your premises, your stock and your staff.

> Read our workplace/business security safety tips to find out how to minimise risks to your workplace and help keep your premises safe.

> In an emergency, always call 000 (Triple Zero).

For non-emergency police assistance (available 24 hours a day), call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.

Get help now

For all life-threatening emergencies, if you are in danger, someone is injured, or if a crime is currently in progress – call 000 (Triple Zero).

For non-emergency police assistance (available 24 hours a day), call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.

Never confront an armed robber. Prioritise staying safe.

It is best to cooperate with the offender and hand over any cash or valuables being sought.

If there is no immediate risk of confrontation, move yourself and your staff to a safe location e.g. back of store/staff room. If there are threats of violence or serious harm – and it is safe to do so without the offender noticing – call 000 (Triple Zero) or activate your hold-up alarm.

If you are outside the workplace and see signs of an intruder inside, do not enter.

Go to a nearby safe place (e.g. a neighbouring business) and call police. Wait in the safe place for police to arrive.

Take note of as much information as you can – including a description of the offender/s, any suspicious vehicles (including number plates) and anything else you think might be relevant to assist police.

For non-urgent police assistance i.e. to report a break-in or encounter where the perpetrator is no longer at the scene, call the Police Assistance Line (available 24/7) on 131 444.

Business Security Audit Checklist

Follow the safety tips below to keep your business or workplace safe, and download a copy of our Business Security Audit Checklist to identify any risk areas that you may need to address.

General workplace safety

Your safety at work, and the safety of your colleagues and customers must always come first. Keep this in mind as you undertake your activities in the workplace and be safety conscious, for example – ensure all workspaces are clear, follow Work Health and Safety Regulations, keep doors and windows closed to intruders, and always have good awareness of your surroundings.

Never pursue a robber or offender – this can escalate the situation and potentially dangerous or violent actions from the offender. It can also make it hard for attending police to immediately see what is going on if more people become involved.

Keep doors and windows secured and monitored. Only have doors open that need to be – i.e. for customers to access your shop.

Get to know neighbouring business operators and keep each other informed of any suspicious activity or nearby hazards.

On arrival each day, check the premises for any signs of disturbance or break-in before going inside. Make sure you lock up securely at the end of trading.

If you are working alone, let someone know (for example, a family member) when you are leaving the premises and when to expect you home.

If you need to take cash to the bank, take precautions such as not making any stops on the way, varying your route and the time of day your deposit is made. Consider using an armed-guard service if you are regularly transporting large amounts of cash.

If you experience a robbery or other hostile event in the workplace, it’s important to recognise that you may experience lasting trauma. This is perfectly understandable and a common reaction – reach out for help if you are struggling in any way.

Shop lifting (retail theft) prevention and detection

Shop lifting is stealing.

Shops vary in their vulnerability to stealing, depending on the location of the shop, the type of goods sold, and the shop layout and display features.

There is also no typical profile of a shoplifter. Offenders vary in age, gender, ethnicity and social background. They also vary in their level of experience, motivation and method of stealing.

Any person who dishonestly takes property, without the consent of the owner, and with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property, commits the crime of stealing (see Tasmanian Criminal Code, section 226).

Shoplifters may attempt to evade detection by ‘dumping’ items they were intending to remove from the store after being observed by store staff or a security camera.

In these circumstances, a person may still be guilty of shop stealing, if the property was moved from one place to another, and at the time of moving it the person had the intent to permanently deprive the owner of that property.

Evidence from store staff or security cameras that show the shop stealer removing the property and attempting to hide it before ‘dumping’ it may be sufficient to establish necessary intent.

Reducing shoplifting risks to your business

The following practical suggestions may help reduce the risk of shop stealing at your business.

Consider your business circumstances and which tips may apply to you.

Establish a policy for your business and employees that includes safety precautions such as:
never leaving display cases open/unlocked
adequately staffing customer service areas
only displaying one of ‘paired’ items
checking the number of garments taken into and out of fitting rooms
always providing receipts for purchases and conducting spot checks of receipts at the store exit
displaying signage making it clear that shoplifting is a crime, and that the store’s policy is to prosecute offenders
installing and actively maintaining high quality CCTV.
Train staff to be aware of shoplifters and have clear procedures in place for how stealing situations will be dealt with. Ensure that everyone is aware of the procedures. One of the best deterrents to stealing is to be attentive to every customer – ask if they need assistance and pay close attention to them.
Confronting someone who is behaving aggressively or making threats can quickly escalate a situation. The safest thing to do in this situation is to take in as much detail as you can about what you saw and contact police as soon as it is safe to do so.

Helpful details to note include:

what happened – what was stolen and from where, a description of the shop stealer and their clothing
relevant times – when you first saw the person, when they left the store
what the person did upon leaving the store – what direction they walked in, what type of vehicle they got into, if they met up with other people (don’t forget to describe other vehicle occupants along with the registration number of the car etc).

Robbery prevention (including armed robbery)

Robberies and armed hold-ups are serious crimes.

Businesses and premises that may be more at risk include those that hold high value items or large volumes of cash, those that trade late into the night, and businesses located in isolated areas.

Under Australian Workplace Safety Legislation, all businesses have a legal duty to provide a safe workplace, and this includes being well prepared for the possibility of a robbery.

The following practical information can help reduce the risk to your business and personal safety. The aim is to decrease the reward for offenders and ensure that personal safety of you, your staff and your customers is the most important consideration.

Design to deter would-be robbers

Maintain a workplace that has high street visibility, for example – a well-lit interior, good exterior lighting including sensor lights, well-maintained shrubs or trees close to the entrances.
Install and regularly service high quality CCTV surveillance equipment. Ensure your CCTV (and signage) is prominently displayed, and keep a well-maintained register about the CCTV, for example – when maintenance is due, who is responsible for checking equipment is working as intended, and that the footage is being stored correctly.
Keep a secure and elevated counter area. Ensure registers are fixed to counters, install barriers to prevent unauthorised access to counter areas, and have counter/service areas in locations that are visible from the street and with wide views across the store. You can also use devices such as convex mirrors to ensure staff have views across the premises.
In high-risk businesses (e.g. late traders, high volumes of cash on premises) install physical barriers such as bullet-resistant enclosures between customers and staff with ‘pass through’ windows for transactions.
Keep rarely used rear, side and delivery doors locked when not in use. Ensure windows are also locked and monitored.

Adopt standard safe work practices/procedures and provide regular training

Train all employees and provide frequent refresher training to watch out for suspicious actions inside and outside the premises, and make sure they know that it’s always better to contact police if something doesn’t look or feel right. Ensure staff know to note down details of suspicious people or vehicles that may be of assistance to police.
If you have a hold-up alarm, make sure all staff know how it works, when to activate it in emergency situations, and where it’s located.
Greet every customer and offer them customer service. Would-be robbers do not want to be easily identified – making direct eye contact with every person and being available to help them is a significant deterrent.
Whenever possible, have a minimum of at least two staff on duty. Preventing potential robbery and providing a safer work environment for employees is worth the additional staffing costs.
Keep vital contact details highly visible to staff – helpful contacts may include security firm, premises owner/manager, the 131 444 Police Assistance Line phone number etc.
Use good cash-protection procedures and make it obvious that these practices are in place, for example – put up signs stating cash is not kept on premises. Cash-protection procedures include always keeping registers locked, regularly removing cash from registers to quick deposit safes (and then removing from premises to be banked).
Keep only the minimal necessary cash on hand in registers. Counting registers/cash balancing should be done in a more secure/less visible area, such as an office, rather than at the register.
Upon arrival each day, inspect the premises for any forcible entry before you go in. Do not enter if something looks suspicious, instead contact police. Make sure you train all opening staff to do this.
At closing, check the premises is cleared of people and all doors/areas safely secured before departure.

What to do during and after a robbery:

ALWAYS act in a way that reduces the risk of harm to yourself and others.

CODE A is a useful and memorable acronym to help you respond to a robbery.

Make sure that all staff are trained in the CODE A principles outlined below.

Download a CODE A poster and display in your workplace as a useful reminder to all staff, for example, in lunchrooms, storerooms, and behind the counter where staff can see it.

C – Calm

Remain calm.

Try your best to stay calm throughout the incident and focus on what will help keep you and others safe and resolve the situation.

O – Obey

Money or items are not worth risking a life for.

Comply with the requests of the robber and don’t take any actions that may jeopardise the safety of staff, customers or bystanders, for example – grabbing a weapon.

Try to inform the robber of any surprises, for example – if someone else is due to arrive soon, or if you need to reach out or move in any way.

Follow the robber’s commands but don’t volunteer any extra information or assistance, for example – if the robber demands a certain amount of money, only give the amount they demand.

The longer a robbery takes or the more complicated the situation is becoming, the more nervous the robber will become. This can increase the risk of escalation and violence – so comply to their demands as quickly and calmly as you can.

D – Description

Be observant and plan to be a good witness.

Try to take mental note of as much details as you can about the robber/s and write it down/report it as soon as possible afterwards (once it’s safe to do so).

Things to keep in mind about the robber/s:

the number of people involved

characteristics such as sex, age, height, ethnicity, hair colour, the shape of eyes, nose and mouth, and any tattoos, piercings, jewellery, facial hair or other distinguishing features

clothing and footwear – including colours, style, brands
description of any items the robber/s are carrying

behaviour and speech patterns – for example, an accent or way of speaking, any names/nicknames heard, gait and movement

description of any vehicles used when escaping (colour, number plate, make/model) and any other people seen in the vehicle

where the robber/s went inside (and outside) the premises, for example – items and surfaces touched, entry and exit points used.

E – Evidence

Preserve all evidence as soon as it is safe to do so.

Don’t touch any items or surface areas the offender touched. Secure these areas by closing off the space if possible, and prevent people from entering or picking up any items contained within the space.

Let attending police know where you have secured the evidence.

A – Activate alarm

If the situation involves threats of violence or serious harm, or is endangering the life or safety of others, activate your hold up alarm if your business has one. Only do this if it is safe to do so silently and without attracting attention of offenders.

Your safety is the most important thing. Do not activate your alarm or call the police while the offender is still there if it is obvious to the offender that you are attempting to making a call/activate an alarm.

Instead, call for help as soon as possible after the offender/s have left the premises.

Fraud and cybercrime prevention

Report any financial crime or fraud (for example, if you suspect a stolen credit/bankcard has been used at your business) to police.
You can find out about and report scams to ScamWatch. ScamWatch also has helpful tips on staying safe from scams.
Check out the Federal Government’s cyber security checklist for businesses to help strengthen your business against cyber threats.

Business Risk Assessment checklist

Download a copy of our Business Risk Assessment Checklist to identify any risk areas that you may need to address to improve the safety of your business/workplace.

Links and resources

Report retail theft (shoplifting) or property damage online at police.tas.gov.au/reportonline.

To report a safety concern or if there were threats and/or assault related to the incident you want to report, call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 at any time and provide details of the incident.

Tasmania Police

Workplace/business safety tips