There are four outcomes when determined thieves or vandals attack a business:
- They get away with it.
- They get caught after the fact.
- They get caught in the act by the police.
- They get scared off and run away.
Of these four options, only no. 4 is a guaranteed positive outcome for the business owner. Deterring people from even attempting a crime minimizes the risk of damage, theft and other consequences.
One might think that getting caught in the act is just as good as deterrence, but it isn’t. For one thing, it takes police time to respond to a break-in time that the perpetrators can use to cause property damage. Beyond that, a physical confrontation between police and criminals is always risky. According to the FBI’s 2024 report on officers killed and assaulted in the line of duty, 85,730 officers were assaulted in 2024, the highest number recorded during the 2015–2024 period. The last thing a business owner wants (or the police for that matter) is a physical confrontation between intruders and police.
“…nearly 60,000 police officers are assaulted every year.”
Deterrence, on the other hand, simply causes the bad guys to go away, often with no damage done to the property. While it might not feel as satisfying as knowing the bad guys have been arrested, from a business standpoint it’s the best result – no opportunity for an on-site incident that could cause harm to the perpetrators or the police, and no opportunity for bad publicity arising from having such an incident occur. Plus, police departments appreciate when businesses take steps to deter crime, because it spares officers from having to expose themselves to unnecessary risk.
Having a strong deterrent in place provides the best protection for businesses, and also can help build stronger relations with local police. And, when Pro-Vigil is your deterrence solution, you also can get some good laughs out of watching the bad guys hightail it off the premises…
These would-be criminals turn into world-class sprinters when Pro-Vigil scares them straight
Pro-Vigil deterrence is a big win, all the way around. Talk to us.
