As India gears up for the second wave of coronavirus, many states like Maharashtra, Punjab, Odisha, Rajasthan, among others have announced partial or complete lockdown. Due to this, all non-essential commercial outlets like roadside shops, retail stores, malls, offices and other commercial spaces, are bound to be shut. However, post lockdown, the situation seems worrisome as robberies in such spaces may increase. As per the ‘Har Ghar Surakshit Report 2020: Safety Insights from India’s Police Force by Godrej locks, a business of Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, 50% cops across India believe that thefts in commercial spaces could increase post complete lifting of the lockdown. Unemployment triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic seen as one of the reasons behind this increase. Cops are already witnessing a rise in petty thefts, vehicle thefts, and commercial break-ins.
The research- Godrej Locks Har Ghar Surakshit Report 2020, conducted by InQognito Insights, is released as part of Har Ghar Surakshit, a nationwide public awareness initiative by Godrej Locks to make people safety conscious. More than 460 police officers from across India were surveyed to get their views on home and commercial safety, the impact of COVID-19 on crime levels and the vulnerability of residential & commercial spaces.
When it comes to commercial spaces, cops see more than half of the thefts (54%) happen in road side shops or shops located in market areas as they do not have adequate security measures in place. Cops point out that incidence of thefts and break-ins is 29% in offices (small & big office), though relatively lower in number.
Cops noted that thefts are usually higher in commercial places with un-branded locks (32%). However, 69% cops agree that it is easier for thieves to break-in in the house in comparison to commercial establishments.
Commenting on the same, Shyam Motwani, Executive Vice-President and Business Head, Godrej Locks, said, “As a brand, Godrej Locks has always focused on creating awareness of safety and safety measures amongst people and community at large. Our intent has always been to boost residential and commercial space safety levels. The research initiative by us gives an eye-opening revelation concerning safety of commercial establishments, coming right from our trusted safety custodians – the police. Through these findings, the main objective is to bring people’s attention to the issue. We hope that people will take note of the prevailing situation and prepare themselves better against threats like robberies and break-ins.”
The report further deep dives into the safety of commercial establishments in regions like North, South, East and West. When compared between regions, it shows that commercial outlets in northern India are at the highest risk of robberies and thefts as 61% cops see such incidents increasing post-lockdown. On the other hand, eastern region faces lower risk since only 27% cops in the region anticipate increase in break-ins. Further, 53% cops believe that southern region will see a surge in these break-ins and 55% cops believe that post-lockdown break- ins at commercial spaces will increase in West.
At city level, 63% cops believe that post-lockdown commercial space break-ins will increase in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai. While, tier I/ II cities like Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Patna, Guwahati, among others are comparatively at a lesser risk since 42% cops believe that post-lockdown commercial space break-ins will increase in these cities. The above findings highlight that owners of commercial establishments need to pay attention to safeguard their properties during these unprecedented times.
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