Whenever there are reports of robberies and break-ins on the news whether it’s at a home, a bank or a mall, it’s likely that some people think, “Well, thank goodness that will never happen where I work.”

If you don’t think your home or place of business is subject to a robbery, think again. In 2013, victims of burglary offenses suffered an estimated $4.5 billion in property losses and burglaries of residential properties accounted for 74 percent of the total reported. When it comes to retail theft, the Global Retail Theft Barometer published by the Center for Retail Research found that North American retailers lose up to $45 worth of inventory from inventory shrink each year.

Whether you’re worried about a potential theft at home or at work, there’s a simple solution that will greatly reduce the risk of that: security and alarm systems. It’s estimated that 67 percent of burglaries can be avoided with the installation of video surveillance and one out of every seven businesses has an alarm system.

There are many benefits to adding an integrated alarm system to your home or place of business and they include:

• Security: If you’re living on private property or work at a place of business with restricted areas, one benefit of an integrated alarm system is determining who has access to certain off-limits areas. Security cameras and alarm systems let you know when a trespasser is on the premises and can limit access that employees have to certain areas of a business. If you’re worried about a disgruntled former employee coming back to the place you work, an integrated alarm system and security access system can easily keep them out of areas they aren’t supposed to be in.
• Less vandalism: Another benefit of an integrated alarm system is the reduction of vandalism and burglary. Even during impulsive, unplanned burglaries, more than 50 percent of the intruders said they would discontinue the burglary if they discovered an alarm. Additionally, a study of convicted burglars found that 83 percent of offenders said they would attempt to determine if an alarm is present before attempting a burglary.
  
  Plain and simple, cameras and alarms are strong deterrents from vandalism and burglary. If you’ve got an integrated alarm system burglars are going to think twice about robbing your place of business or your home.
• Quick Response: When an integrated alarm system or commercial security system is triggered, the authorities know pretty quickly. Police respond to 38 million alarm activations a year and most alarm systems have a built in delay before contacting your monitoring company; the delay time can range anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes.
  
  A quick response time increases the likelihood that perpetrators will be caught and any damage that’s done will be minimized. Companies without an integrated alarm system have no way of knowing when or if burglars and vandals have gone and may wait to contact proper authorities until they know they are safe. With alarm systems, you can rest easier knowing that there’s a better chance of your possessions or your company’s assets being protected and for burglars and vandals to be caught.
• Insurance: Installing commercial security systems or business security systems put companies at lower risk for theft and burglary. As a result, insurance companies are likely to offer them lower rates because they are less of a risk. Lower risk means lower premiums, which can positively affect your company’s bottom line.

More and more every day we see places that were thought to be safe become burgled, vandalized and attacked whether it be at home, at church, a department store or a local gas station. Wherever you are, you don’t want to be in constant fear that something might happen to us at any moment. There’s certainly potential for bad things to happen no matter where you are, but having an integrated alarm system or some other security system exponentially increases your odds of staying safe.