• Appoint key holders and get them to agree their availability for the Christmas period, perhaps organising a rota to cover long closures
  
  
• Make sure the key holders' phone numbers are available to relevant senior members of staff, including mobile numbers. And likewise, make sure the key holders can get hold of a senior member of staff if there is a problem
  
  
• Choose only responsible and authoritative people to be your key holders, as they are the last people to check the building before locking up, and the first to be called on in an emergency
  
  
• Give all the key holders everything they need to know about the alarm codes, and precisely where they will find fuse boxes, boilers, gas, water stop cocks, etc. In the middle of a flood is not the time to start guessing where the stop cocks are!
  
  
• When staff are recording jolly Christmas messages for the office answering machine or changing their own voicemail and 'Out of Office' email messages, remind them not to tell everyone that the premises are empty for days on end
  
  
• Encourage staff to lock away all moveable, valuable items in cupboards and drawers; lock the drawers and cabinets; and lock the keys in a lockable cabinet! Then give the key to a highly trusted person!
  
  
• Set passwords to lock PCs and laptops, to prevent intruders accessing the data stored on them - and don't leave the new passwords written down in the office
  
  
• Back up all your computers and store the disks off site, or at the very least in a waterproof, fireproof, lockable cabinet
  
  
• Consider using timer switches for desk lamps to make the building appear occupied
  
  
• Make sure all intruder protection systems and CCTV are working properly, and that spare tapes are available
  
  
• Fun though they are, Christmas decorations can get in the way! Check the CCTV camera is not obscured by tinsel, and that alarm beams are not disturbed by cardboard Santas
  
  
• Arrange for someone to collect post from time to time, as a mountain of envelopes on the mat is a sure-fire give-away that the offices are empty
  
  
• Take a good look outside the office before you lock up. Look for obvious targets, such as valuable equipment visible on desktops
  
  
• Close blinds where possible to stop opportunists taking a peek - breaking in is risky, and if they can't see what's worth taking they may decide not to chance it
  
  
• Make sure rubbish bags and bins outside your buildings are emptied. Firstly, it reduces the threat of an arson attack, and secondly, the building looks less obviously unattended.

Taking a little extra time to check your premises before you leave to start the holidays could mean a truly peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year.

With grateful thanks to Hawksmere for this safety advice. For information regarding Hawksmere's premises security seminars, please visit www.hawksmere.co.uk or call customer services on 020 7824 8257.