6.3.21 – National Jewelers – Neenah, Wis
The security company will dispatch a security officer to investigate when an alarm goes off at participating jewelry stores.
Jewelers Mutual is helping add an extra layer of protection for jewelers with the launch of an alarm response program. The new offering is supported by protective services company Securitas.
When an alarm at a jewelry business goes off, Securitas will dispatch a security officer to investigate the premises. If they notice anything suspicious upon arrival, the officer will contact local law enforcement to investigate and remain on-site until they arrive. If they don’t see anything suspicious, they’ll conduct their check of the premises—checking the perimeter of the store, ensuring all points of entry are secure, and looking for damage to the building. Once that’s complete, they will call the monitoring company with the information. It will also go to the jeweler, with the goal of goal determining the cause for the alarm so that it can be corrected. Additionally, Securitas logs all activity from the time of dispatch to clearing the scene in its software, integrating media, GPS, and timestamping for all steps. The security company submits a report to JM including all those details.
“The jewelry industry is experiencing a concerning spike in criminal activity,” said Larry Spicer, vice president of loss prevention and risk management at Jewelers Mutual. “Criminals go where there are sales, and as we ease out of the pandemic, retail sales are on the rise.” This is a reminder, he added, that jewelers should make security a priority. “To ensure jewelers’ future success, we’re making bigger investments in education, resources, and services to help the industry combat crime.”
JM has been piloting the program with its commercially insured jewelers and their agents “with success,” and is now ready to roll it out to all jewelers across the U.S., even those not currently insured with the company. The cost of the program is $49.95 per month; participating jewelers also can be billed $149.85 quarterly or $599.40 yearly. There is no additional cost for alarm responses.
The program comes as part of the group’s JM Risk Services division, which provides loss prevention education and risk management solutions to its policyholders and the entire jewelry industry. Jewelers interested in learning more about the program, service locations, and how to sign up should visit JewelersMutual.com/security or contact the Loss Prevention team at lossprevention@jminsure.com.
Brecken Branstrator is the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.