Winter Time Crime
- Admin
- Nov 5
- 6 min read
How to prevent Holiday Break-ins - Professional Security Solutions for Winter Crime in the Greater Puget Sound
As the days get shorter and the holidays roll in, businesses across the Greater Puget Sound face increased Security challenges. With seasonal crime rates rising by anywhere from 10% to 27% per sector. Breaking and entering, theft, and violent crimes are committed. This time of year brings challenges to business owners and individuals alike.
You're a business owner, operating in Washing, shipping goods and services to your community. The holidays are a time for employers and employees to spend time with their families. You lock the door, ready for a week at home with the children and grandchildren. Meanwhile, someone is waiting across the street for just this time. A period where you are not there, and everything is ripe for the taking.
Just by knowing this, you are prepared to take steps to protect your business with licensed Security Professionals. Give us some time to help prepare you for comprehensive winter business Security.
Winter Crime Reality: What the numbers say
Between 2023 and 2024, the FBI reported that 10% of all burglaries and larcenies occurred in December. In addition, nearly all cases involved losses of between $2,000 and $4,000 USD.
An increase of twenty percent in shoplifting year over year in the months of November and December. While violent crimes and threats of violence increased by seventeen percent in the same period.
Insurance Industry claims were 20% higher than in previous years, with an average cost of $8,500 USD. Reports from the National Retail Federation rank Seattle, Washington, 4th nationwide. Nearly 6,000 reports per 100,000 residents. This puts Seattle at 200 times the national crime rate.
Pierce and King County Sheriffs Departments reported lower crime rates from 2023 to 2024. But warn of increases expected to increase this year, 2025. This expected rise is attributed to the nation's political climate, along with financial burdens place on individuals due to lapses in health, food, and housing assistance.
Precautions and Measures to Mitigate Theft & Break-Ins
Ensure physical Security measures are operational and properly secured at the end of each day.
Remove valuable goods, products, and materials from visible areas around entryways and windows.
Install and maintain remote monitoring alarm systems. this may act as a deterrent while notifying you in the event of an emergency.
Consider hiring Security Personnel for On-Site after-hours protection.
Seasonal Employee Security Risks: Protecting Your Business from Temporary Worker Vulnerabilities
As the holidays roll around, it becomes clear that you need new employees to meet the demand increases week by week, maybe even day by day. Instead of hiring new employees into positions that may not be feasible come spring. You decide to hire temporary employees instead. The onboarding process needs to be quick and efficient enough to put them to work to make up for the influx of activity you receive. This poses seasonal employee Security risks.
Potential risks include ingress and access control issues, IT and malware threats, and, of course, physical Security threats to property and staff. Are your employee verification measures enough to stop someone with a stolen badge? What about look-a-likes and bad actors? Are your staff trained to identify phishing emails or suspicious links? Can your system be tampered with or sabotaged in any way? These are all matters to consider when hiring new talent during the busiest days of the year.
Critical Security Statistics for Seasonal Hiring:
It'll be a shock to learn that businesses report than less than 10% of their staff receive training from IT specialists; you'd be even more surprised to learn that even fewer receive proper training on physical Security measures. While about twenty percent of breaches are physical in nature. That still leaves 1 in 6; it does not account for companies that hire seasonally. Half of these physical breaches are reported as stolen credentials or brute force.
Companies experience a 20% increase in fraud during the holiday season, partly due to seasonal workers.
71% of companies have no formal offboarding process for temporary staff
68% of Security breaches in 2024 involved human error.
Precautions and Measures to Mitigate Physical Breaches
Proper auditing of ingress and egress control procedures.
Reporting procedures for misplaced or stolen identities.
Video surveillance of entrances and exits.
Proper training on digital and physical threats.
Consider hiring Security professionals to review and assist.
Extended Closure Risk: Empty Buildings Do Not Mean Empty of Goods
Soon, employees may be taking time off to spend the holidays with their families. During this period, your building or site may be empty or have fewer staff present. This presents security risks that require professional Security Solutions.
Risks of Empty or Low-Staffed Sites
Predictable closures around the holidays mean it's easy for criminals to plan break-ins.
Delayed reactions and response time due to increased criminal activity across the region.
Snow and other weather conditions may drive transient individuals to seek shelter in less secure places.
Valuable equipment, inventory, and copper wiring remain vulnerable to theft.
Strategies to Protect Your Business or Home
Do not advertise shutdowns or closures.
Maintain signs of life, such as lights, motion, or cars in the parking lots.
Securing goods in areas with increased Security measures, such as a vault or interior storage locker.
Security Patrol Services or 24/7 Security monitoring, including Armed or Unarmed Security Personnel.
Why Professional Security Services Matter
Even taking precautions to protect your business, home, or property, there are still reasons for individuals to enter. Copper from the walls, equipment left unsecured or unattended, such as computers, printers, servers, or other office equipment. Exposure kills, so if an individual without a safe and warm place to sleep believes your site to be unsecured or improperly protected, they may take advantage. Professional Security Patrol Services can provide the deterrent and rapid response your property requires.
Extended Hours: Employee Safety and Parking Lot Protection
Protecting what matters to you does not only mean goods and services. It means protecting those who provide these services to your customers. This time of year means a lot of hours outside normal operating hours. Late nights, early mornings, and of course, a lot of tiring days.
Due to this fact, you will find Security risks that you may not experience at any other time of the year.
With the sun setting earlier in the day and rising slowly, you find that the greatest risk to Safety and well-being occurs when an employees is getting to or from work. Lone workers are at the highest risk of danger, but they are not the only ones. With darker parking lots, slicker roads, and longer hours, fatigue may set in, leading to reduced awareness. Take steps to mitigate these dangers.
Prepare Your Employees and Site for Winter Hours
De-ice sidewalks and exterior walking areas.
Installed enhanced lighting and monitoring equipment for site ingress and egress areas.
Escort or partnering policies for staff ingress and egress.
Panic buttons or safety devices.
Reporting procedures and clock-in and clock-out policies.
Consider after-hours Security measures.
Diligence Security: Customer Security Solutions Tailored to Your Needs
Licensed Security Company Service Tacoma, Seattle, Pierce County, King County, and the Greater Puget Sound!
Here at Diligence Security, we understand the importance of Security. We also understand that this time of year brings hardships and financial stress. This is why we operate at a flexible level. Regardless of your needs, we have been providing custom Security Solutions throughout Tacoma, Seattle, Pierce County, King County, and the Greater Puget Sound. Our Security Services cover:
Construction Site Security - Protecting equipment, materials, and work sites
Medical Facility Security - HIPPA-Compliant Security Officers for healthcare providers
Retail Security - Customer Safety Solutions
Private Property Security - Residential and Commercial property protection
Emergency Firewatch & Security - 24/7 Emergency Firewatch and Security Services
Security Patrol Services - Routine and randomized Patrols to properties
Alarm Response Services - Rapid Emergency Response to Security alerts
We have been assisting our partners and local businesses with Security measures that meet their needs. Whether you are a small business that needs cost-effective solutions, we provide free quotes and information about unmanned Security methods, video surveillance, and routine and random site check-ins.
Maybe your business needs enhanced Security; we provide trained, licensed Security Officers for access control and On-Site monitoring. But what if you need more than just Security? What you need is a comprehensive Security detail for your business. We offer Emergency Response, 24/7 monitoring, and scalable and flexible solutions tailored to your unique needs.
Get Your Free Security Consultation Today
Security shouldn't be on-size-fits-all; find a solution that fits your needs today. It's that time of year when crime rises; now's the time to act. Diligence Security is a licensed Security Agency in Tacoma, Seattle, Pierce County, King County, and the Greater Puget Sound area that has helped secure all of our partners from theft, property damage, threats of violence, and more. Don't let your company become another statistic. Insurance claims go up after Security incidents, costing you money and peace of mind.
Contact Diligence Security for Professional Protection
Free Security Assessment and Quotes
Licensed and Insured Security Professionals
Unarmed Security Officers available
24/7 Emergency Response Services
Emergency Firewatch and Security
Serving Tacoma, Seattle, Pierce County, King County, and the Greater Puget Sound
Don't be a victim - Call Diligence Security today for a free Security Consultation (253) 227-3565
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