KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The start of the holiday season is a busy time for businesses. It’s also a busy time for criminals, as police often see a surge in robberies. KCK police are helping store owners make changes that can prevent hold-ups.

About 18,000 customers a week buy their groceries at the Sun Fresh market on 18th Street. As spending surges during the holiday season, this is one of many businesses in Wyandotte County that doesn’t want to see the season of giving turn into a season of stealing.

“Whether we have been victimized in that manner or perhaps our peers in the area, in the trade area, the alert and the awareness has heightened,” said George Thomas, a manager at the store.

Police say robberies can be prevented through environmental design. Paying attention to entrances and exits, fencing and landscaping, can make a storefront more secure. Moving displays that block the line of sight and taking signs down out of windows can make a merchant more visible, and police say robbers don’t like to be seen.

“Our police department here is progressive in reaching out to the businesses in the neighborhood and working with them to try to make them as safe as possible,” said Paul Soptick, leader of Wyandotte Countians Against Crime.

At Sun Fresh any suggestion by police is taken seriously. And oftentimes those who battle crime have advice that a retailer may not have ever considered. The partnership’s goal is to ensure everyone stays safe this season.