Coffee With A Cop Event Recap
We would like to thank all of our members who joined us for our Coffee With A Cop event on July 26th.
Don’t worry if you missed it, the key takeaways are outlined below: including important stuff that you, as members, can do to keep your business and the community safer!
Safety Tips for Your Business:
Police recommend that businesses follow the following guidelines. Some of these recommendations are simple and cheap, while others could be more expensive but even more effective.
Keep as little cash around as possible, and leave your empty cash drawers in the front window (advertising that there is no money on hand).
Remove valuable items from the front of the store such as electronics, alcohol, iPads, expensive hair care products, & point of sale electronics.
Keep premises visible from the street - avoid blocking interior view with large displays or winder adverts.
Use deadbolt locks on all doors.
Install a good alarm system and check it regularly. Make sure it is wired to go off at all potential points of entry, including doors, windows, roof openings, loading docks and vents.
Protect your business with a quality CCTV system, and ensure that they offer nighttime surveillance. Do not overlook security at places like fire escapes, skylights, roof openings, air ducts, doorway transoms, loading docks, sidewalk and basement openings. Post signs advising that the area is under video surveillance.
Get to know your neighbours, so they know when something is amiss.
Post a notice on the front door stating “No Cash or Goods on Hand.”
Install Anti-Shatter Window Film to stop your glass from being smashed during a break & enter.
REMEMBER: When a crime has been committed, call the police (911) immediately.
Book a Safety Audit
A great resource offered to you as a BIA business is the ability to book a safety audit by the Toronto Police. An officer will visit you and assess your business for personalized recommendations on where your business could be safer from potential crimes. Email Henry Dyck at Henry.Dyck@torontopolice.on.ca to book an appointment today!
Dealing with Vulnerable Populations & Police Trespass Authorization Letter
We know that business owners can sometimes encounter vulnerable people sleeping in or potentially doing drugs in the laneways or frontages near their entrances. To manage these situations, see the following:
The City of Toronto De-Escalation Training Sessions for Street-Front Retailers is an info session for managers or employees who interact with the general public regularly and would like to learn strategies and skills for communicating with individuals who may be street involved or displaying agitated behaviours. Click here to sign up.
Call Here 2 Help (from 2pm to 10pm) at 416-915-4200 or 211 (anytime) who can send a team to check out this person.
If someone is trespassing on your property and refuses to leave, you can call the police non-emergency number at 416-808-2222.
Found sharps and needles in your back entrance? Call Carol Lee from Dixon Hall at 647-678-3295 and she will coordinate a cleanup. She's avail Mon-Wed, 12-4.
Attached is the Police Trespass Authorization Letter. If you sign and return the letter to us, you give the police permission to enter and/or remove unauthorized individuals or trespassors from your property when passing by. This could include people sleeping in your doorway in the morning before you start work. We recommend signing and returning this to us asap.
If you have any other questions about crime and safety, reach out to st.jamestown@torontopolice.on.ca if your business is in the St. Jamestown boundary or mossPark@torontopolice.on.ca if you are in the Moss Park boundary. See boundary map attached.
Boundary Map
