For retailers, distributors and logistics operations, December is the busiest month of the year. For many offices, it is the quietest, with buildings closed or lightly staffed between Christmas and the new year. Both situations put pressure on security, and in different ways.
The good news is that the holiday season comes at the same time every year. It can be planned for in a way most risks cannot.
For busy sites: peak trading
Higher footfall and higher stock levels mean more opportunity for theft, both from outside and from within. Temporary staff join with less screening and less familiarity with procedures. Cash on site increases, and so do the number of times it is counted and moved. Loading bays are busier, and deliveries arrive outside normal hours.
For quiet sites: the closure period
Buildings that are empty for days are attractive targets. Alarms that go off with no one to respond, keys held by staff who are travelling, and patrols that assume normal occupancy all create gaps. Problems found on the first working day of January are often days old.
A one-page holiday checklist
You do not need a new security plan for December. You need a short addendum to the one you have, agreed before the season starts.
Post orders and staffing
- Updated post orders for extended hours or closure days
- Guard and supervisor rosters confirmed through the season, including public holidays
- Briefing for temporary staff on cash handling, stock control and reporting
Keys, alarms and response
- Named key holders for every site, with confirmed availability and contact numbers
- Alarm monitoring and response arrangements tested before closure
- A clear instruction for what happens when an alarm activates and no key holder answers
Cash and stock
- Cash limits on site, with more frequent banking or collection
- High-value stock secured and counted before closure
- Delivery schedules that avoid unattended drop-offs
Incidents
- One incident contact list for the whole period, shared with guards and managers
- A simple way to record incidents, even when the office is closed
What this means in practice
- Agree the holiday addendum by the first week of December.
- Walk each site before closure, and again on the first day back.
- Review what happened over the season in January, while it is fresh.
Talk to us about seasonal post orders and security procedures. → Security plans & manuals
