It’s not secret that there’s a lot of political unrest in the world, at the moment. Even in incredibly well-developed countries, people are fighting over who’s right and wrong. Of course, in politics, violence should never be the answer. But, this doesn’t stop some people from taking to the streets, and doing as they please.
There’s nothing wrong with a peaceful, non-obtrusive protest. Unfortunately, even at protests that start off fine and dandy, the atmosphere can quickly change to one of anger. When there’s enough people, this can start to cause rioting. Some people will take advantage of the chaos, and try to profit from it.
This usually comes in the form of looting; where people will break into businesses and steal everything they can. People do this because they believe that the disruption will help them to get away with it.
If you want to protect your business, you need to be prepared. First and foremost, if you’re in an area that’s at risk of riots, you should make your property into a small fortress. You can get heavy duty shutters installed, that even a car would struggle to get through. This will protect your business from any possible incursions, as long as you get it set up in time.
But, if you find yourself in the midst of a riot, what do you do? Some people have been known to fight to protect their business. But, this isn’t advised. In situations like this, people don’t think straight. By picking up a weapon and charging into battle, you run the risk of getting hurt, or you could hurt someone else. In a serious situation, this could mean death. And no amount of product is worth a life. It’s much better to hide out in a locked room if you have the facility.
Wait out the storm, hidden away. When the dust settles, you should try to get in contact with the police as soon as possible. If you have insurance, you should also contact your provider. During this time, it may be hard to get through to busy services. So, be patient. Next, you should try and determine exactly what has gone missing and been damaged. Create a list in detail, and offer to provide it to the police and insurance company.
Now, you’ve probably got some cleanup to do. A lot of intrusions related to riots involve defacing the property with graffiti. This could be on both the outside and inside of your premises. Depending on the tool used to create the graffiti, you may be able to get it off yourself. Otherwise, you may need the help of a graffiti removal service.
You will need to get your business cleaned and ready to get back running as soon as possible. Try to recruit friends and family to help with the clean up. Obviously, you may need to replace some stock, as well. It can take time for insurance companies to pay out, so you may have to cover things yourself.
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