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According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), 2012 saw an 8% decrease in crime compared to 2011’s survey. Saying this, there was still a whopping 9.2 million incidents of crime against businesses in England and Wales according to the 2012 Commercial Victimisation Survey. The more popular crimes still seem to be theft from a person rather than a commercial site, but with a 13% decrease in robbery and a 9% drop in burglary comes a conviction to keep it down. Businesses all over the UK have a responsibility to guard their assets from vandals and thieves, but which methods are the most effective?

The Guardian posted this article with a rather amusing title as to why crime in the UK has fallen. Officials are still unaware of the overarching reason, but the recent increase in security measures since the 2012 Riots accounts for much of it.

You Are Under Surveillance

CCTV has always proven an effective method for deterring criminals. CCTV is not only useful for capturing video evidence of a crime, but it also works as a self-regulation device. Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon is the model example of this effect; the criminal believes they are being watched even if they can’t see the camera, they then self-regulate as a natural response. Clever, no? You can purchase excellent quality CCTV cameras from CCTV Direct here for a good price. The formula to success here is in the look as well as the function, so be sure that your camera looks the business while it’s protecting it.

Open Door Policy

It’s no use having a fancy camera if your main form of protection is no good. CCTV is a good deterrent, but it won’t serve much purpose on its own. The Office for National Statistics released these statistics last year, and as you can see the number of personal and business property burglaries has seen a downward trend. Ever since the 2012 riots, small businesses in heavily populated areas such as London have adopted impeccable security measures such as these steel doors from Roller Shutter & Steel Doors. Criminals are now losing the battle against home and business security measures due to higher standards of security.

Again though, the aim is not simply to deter crime, but to stay on top of it. So how else could criminal activity vandalize a business?

Threats From Within

Guarding the exterior of the building against vandals is the prior concern for small business owners, but for bigger businesses there is another kind of threat. Employee crime can often go unnoticed, especially in office environments. This article from Daily Tech brought to my attention the digital threat a business can face if left unguarded. As the title suggests, most of this is common sense, but with conventional crime at its lowest since the 1980s, it’s just as important to focus on internal security. A shop being broken into is one thing; access of a client’s personal information is another, therefore it is important to protect your business from all angles, not just the main gate.

If crime is going to continue to fall, businesses big and small must continue to protect themselves. Hopefully we will see an ever greater fall in crime by 2014, but only if we stay one step ahead.

Warning:

First and foremost, this blog is not a thinly disguised attempt at a  ‘How To’  for anyone trying to wheedle money from their employers, local council or anyone else over either partly or wholly fabricated personal injuries. It is, in fact, largely the fault of such individuals, that contingent fee legal claims are constantly the subject of controversy and consequently under threat. Without contingent fee personal injury claims, the majority of everyday working people would not be able to afford to uphold their rights; in a nut shell, having no means to uphold your rights equates to the same as having no rights…

With that cleared up, let the blog begin…

Few people understand that losing a finger, coping with a repetitive stress injury or being bedridden for a period of time is not the issue. At least, not the only issue; if you have been in this situation, you will know the far-reaching effects that result. And you will know that it is ineffable to succinctly explain or make clear what it is like to be in this situation or to have experienced this.

It is the effects on top of having lost, suffered or continuing to suffer that add up to create a situation in which the injured (and in this case innocent) party suffers tenfold. Then, the suffering is far reaching and can spread like cancer to damage your mental, emotional and financial status. Maybe, though, worse than all these things (even combined) is the reality that no one who hasn’t either been in this situation, except maybe those who have a spouse or relative who has, could ever understand; even trying to explain is can be an overwhelming stressful undertaking.

Having watched a friend go through this, I can’t even imagine (or I don’t even want to) what happens to elderly, alone or mentally vulnerable individuals placed in this situation. My friend was young, surrounded by friends and family and very mentally and physically healthy before he ended up in this position. Despite the situation having now been resolved in court, he has been left with the emotional and mental fallout. His physical wounds have healed; his mental health isn’t so easy to fix.

Then, the last thing you need is to be told that now you have to complete hours of research, phone calls, complete enquiry forms and try to detangle the law to avoid being injured further by it in an attempt to simply limit the damage being caused…and get some justice.

Even that last sentence was painful to write…

Hence, below, is a short list of useful contacts and ideas to hopefully offer some constructive advice for anyone attempting to cope in this situation or having to watch a love one go through this.

Like compensation, no amount of advice or support can rectify or reverse your situation, but I can tell you: my reason for writing this (not exactly thrilling – to write or read) blog is that I empathise and wish, when my friend had been injured I could have done more to at least provide him with options or possible place / people to turn to for advice. The truth is, I felt helpless and powerless…we all did.

Your Rights

Do you know your rights? …honestly. I’m not just talking about if you happen to fall down a man hole. What if you were wrongly arrested? What if you were working in substandard working conditions over a long period of time, would you know whether you had the right to voice this or even how to?

I don’t. Even now, after seeing what my friend has gone through – and is still going through, I don’t know that much about my rights.

Anyone who has attempted to glean a clear and concise understanding of UK human rights, employment rights and…well any rights in the UK(!) will have quickly realised that this is impossible…unless you happen to be training to be a lawyer. Then, how are people supposed to uphold their rights if they can’t even fully know or hope to understand them?

It is quite simple, actually.  Free legal advice is available concerning sustained personal injuries, illnesses and negligence cases from The Citizens Advice Bureau. I have heard (and maybe you have to) negative reviews of The Citizens Advice Bureau, but please remember that this is an organisation run largely by volunteers who give up their time to ensure that the organisation is as efficient it is. The Citizens Advice Bureau is funded by a mix of the UK Government and ‘other sources’. Hence, realistically you will probably need to demonstrate more patience and understanding than you would be expected to treat a paid legal representative. I know this is (genuinely) a lot to ask when you or a loved one is suffering due to an injury and possibly increasing financial pressure, but in the meantime the Citizens’ Advice website can also prove a valuable and reliable resource.

Limiting Your Financial Loses

If you do decide to seek the expertise of a ‘no win no fee’ (aka a contingent fee) lawyer or legal firm, thoroughly research the company or lawyer and their services; some legal companies, such as AYB Law with whom clients can claim directly on their website, cutting out much of the time and stress. Once you have filled in what is a very short and straight forward online claim form an AYB personal injury lawyer will telephone you. Hence, you also save the cost of a telephone call. This may seem petty, but if you have experienced a personal injury you may not be able to visit many of the people you need to speak to in-person. Then, phone calls and phone bills more specifically can quickly mount up, putting you under even more stress on what may already be a financially difficult time.

Blackwater Law are a well known example of a legal company who specialise in the handling of contingent fee personal injury claims. You shouldn’t seek their services without carrying out your own research, but the reason I have chosen to mention them is that Blackwater Law happen to provide clients (depending on their case) with the option of ‘early referral for free and professional medical treatment, such as a chiropractor [...]to ensure you receive the best medical treatment you need, without being placed on a NHS waiting list.’

Equally worth exploring are Questus. Questus are a legal outsourcing company who hit the legal news in 2012 because they outsource contingent fee personal claims cases who practise ‘white label’ practises. ‘White label’ practises are considered the most ethical, when it comes to the controversial ‘no win no fee’ personal injuries cases.

What if the claims company I choose mismanage my case?

If the claims company you opt for mismanage your case, contact the Legal Ombudsman for help and support.

I know the mere thought of this happening is not something anybody wants to accept as a possible reality. Unfortunately, it does happen from time to time and if it happens to you or a loved one your only option is to despair or muster what energy you have left and direct it toward resolving your situation.

Most Importantly and Lastly – Do Not Lose Hope

If you have survived reading this blog, you can survive the process ahead; just remember, a sense of humour is often the best means of keeping your sanity in what can be a lengthy and (at times) maddening situation and process; so, don’t lose it!

My life has been a bit upside down for the last month or so. Out of the last four weeks, I have spent two of them in hospital, and this week made the first of what will be regular out patient’s appointments. All of this is the result of an accident at work. I slipped on some oil that had been spilled and no one had bothered to clear up – nor had they put a sign up to warn others of the spillage. It’s really annoying because all the materials for spills management are there – it’s just that none of us know how to use them.

At first I didn’t realise the full impact of the injury. I have broken my right leg and damaged some of the tendons too. I had thought that this would mean a few weeks off work and then I’d be back. Unfortunately the tendon damage is probably worse than the break and it means that I could be off my feet for a couple of months at the very least. My first thoughts were that I’d be covered by works sick pay. I have since found out that because I have only been with the company for 2 years, I only qualify for four weeks of sick pay. After that I’m only going to get statutory sick pay – about £80 a week. Keeping the bills paid and a roof over my head is now worrying me more than my injuries.

At work we all had Health and Safety talks when we joined, but very little in the way of reminders and retraining since then. I have looked at the Health and Safety Executive website to try and find out more about how often we should be trained but it’s very difficult to find exactly what I wanted. The website seems geared towards health and safety professionals, so the information that I did find was a bit above my head.

I have been getting some good advice from a legal firm that deals with personal injury claims. So far they have been really good and given me lots of useful information regarding my rights. If you find yourself in a similar position to me you might want to visit the website where I found them to get some information about your rights. It looks like the best way for me to cover myself against my loss of earnings will be to take out a personal injury claim.

In the meantime I have another 4 weeks with my leg in plaster. When that is removed I will have to undergo some physiotherapy to help with the damaged tendons. I have spoken with my work place on a number of occasions and will be getting a visit next week from the manager in charge of health and safety. I’ll be discussing some of the issues at work with him and will be suggesting that they give us some training in the practices that I found on this site for dealing with spillages.

As I’m now a man of leisure for the foreseeable future, you can expect to see some more blogs from me. I love writing but don’t normally have the time to blog when I’m at work. I’ll keep you posted with how things progress with my recovery and my personal injury claim.

Whether you live alone, with a partner or with your family, it is important to make sure that you house is a safe environment. Not only do you want to make sure that your house is safe from accidents but also that your belongings are safe and your house is secure.

If you live alone and are worried about people knocking on the door and you not being able to see who is outside, why not install a peep hole. It is relatively easy to do and will ensure that you always know who is at the door. You could also install a chain on your door if you want your entrance to be extra secure against possible intruders. you can get peep holes for about £2.00, if you want it to match the wood of your door, then you can get a wider range of colours for about £5.00. You can get a good chain for £2.50-£3.00 and they usually come in either silver or gold.

If you have small children running around the house, you want to make sure there aren’t too many slips and trips. Make sure you have a large array of storage boxes or chests around your house, so that anything that could be tripped over can be quickly put away in a box, it also means that it will keep your house clutter free.

Sometimes safety is just common sense, so make sure that light switches are easily found when entering a dark room, so that you and if you have them, your children can get the lights on quickly in order to make sure there are not any accidents when entering a room. If the lights are on then it is easier to avoid any obstacles that in the dark would cause accidents.

If you leave your house alone at any point for long periods of time, then it would be a good idea to install security lighting around your house, if it is dark and intruder may not feel to worried about being caught out if they can hide in the shadows, security lighting will light up large areas of your house and make sneaking in the shadows an impossibility.

Safety and security are paramount in your home and these tips can help give you peace of mind and keep you and your family safe.

One of the most important aspects of any workplace or organisation is the level of security necessary to work at optimum level in a safe way. It is literally the degree of protection against danger, damages, losses, and any criminal activity. As there are no particularly official guidelines that relate to security, it is often up to the workplace or organisation to evaluate possible dangers and deal with them.

Security can be compared to other concepts, such as safety, continuity and reliability. The key difference between security and reliability is that security has to take into account other factors, mainly the actions of people causing or attempting to cause destruction, of any type. Security can also mean different things depending on the context. For example, clearly a different kind of security is needed in a nightclub than is needed on a website, but the intention and ultimate goal remain the same.

It is important to take into account the idea of perceived security and evaluate its problems in relation to real security. If two different antivirus programs are installed into a computer, then there is a good chance that they might interfere with each other and possibly cancel each other out. The person who installed them might believe that they are getting twice the protection, but chances are that this is not the case at all. So there is an illusion, or perception, of security, despite the real possibility of their computer security being at risk.

In any workplace or in daily life, one of the most important aspects of safety to consider is fire safety. It can cause very serious problems if there are not guidelines and regulations to adhere to regarding safety, or if these are not followed correctly. It is also one of the easiest kinds of safety to either overlook or forget about completely.

Fire safety is an issue even in places or jobs that you might not consider to have a fire danger level. Anywhere that has electricity, gas, is draughty, contains a lot of flammable items or fluid or is involved at all in the lighting of fires can potentially have fire problems. When you consider this, it becomes clear that most of the places you visit in your daily and working life need to have some kind of fire safety regulations. There is so much potential to go wrong in places where one or some of the above aspects are included, that it is necessary to adhere to regulations.

Threats to fire safety are known as fire hazards, and include all of the aspects in the above list. Key elements of fire safety depend on the building or area in which the activities are taking place, but most often include factors such as maintaining fire alarms, having fire extinguishers in easily accessible places, properly storing any hazardous materials that may be around, and conducting regular fire drills throughout the year.

Health and safety are very important in the workplace and in daily life, and there are often strict rules of protocol that are necessary to follow to ensure people’s safety. These depend on the nature of the potential risks and problems associated with a particular job, place or activity. For example, the types of rules you need to follow when at a swimming pool would be similar to those at a fire station, but they also differ in many ways.

The goal of the rules laid out that are in-keeping with health and safety are to foster a safe environment for all concerned. It is most often concerned with occupational hazards, and as such is focused more on the health and safety in the workplace. As a secondary effect, it can also help protect co-workers, family members, employers, and all other members of the public who are impacted by a workplace environment. It can also involve many different subject areas, such as chemistry, safety engineering and public health.

Health and safety officers try to promote health and safety procedures in an organisation. They may give a company or institution tips and advice on how to improve their record of health and safety, and how to improve for the future.

Effective training programmes can make a significant positive impact, helping to reduce numbers of deaths and injuries, property damage, missed time from work, and legal liability. This in turn leads to a more efficient and productive work force, which boosts the stats of the organisation and benefits everyone.