Liquor store security systems
For liquor store owners and managers in Alberta and BC, including stores in plazas, standalone buildings and hotels.
Updated
The quick answer
A liquor store needs cameras that capture a clear face at the door and a clear view of every till, an intrusion alarm with glass-break sensors that a monitoring centre watches overnight, silent panic buttons at the counter, and access control on the stockroom, office and receiving door. Remote video monitoring through our monitoring partner can cover the lot and back door after hours. Stores must meet AGLC requirements in Alberta and LCRB requirements in BC; we design systems to support your licence requirements, so check the current rules for your store.
Where the risk is in a liquor store
What managers tell us about
- Grab-and-run thefts near the door
- Staff confronted at the till late in the evening
- Break-ins through the storefront glass after closing
- Stock going missing between delivery and the shelf
- Footage that doesn’t show a usable face
What helps
- A camera at the door at face height, not only overhead
- Panic buttons staff can reach without being seen
- Personal codes for the stockroom and office
- A monitored alarm with battery backup and a cellular connection
- Fast clip export for police
Systems that fit a liquor store
| System | What it does |
|---|---|
| Security cameras | Entrance, tills, aisles with high-value stock, stockroom, receiving door and parking, with clear faces at the door. |
| Intrusion alarm | Door contacts, motion and glass-break sensors on the storefront, monitored by a monitoring centre after hours. |
| Panic buttons | Silent buttons at the counter and in the office that alert the monitoring centre or a manager. |
| Access control | Personal fobs or codes for the stockroom, cooler, office and receiving door, with every entry logged. |
| Remote video monitoring | Our monitoring partner watches the lot and back door after hours and warns people off through a talk-down speaker. |
| Cooler alarms | An alert when the beer cooler gets too warm or its door is left open. |
Built around your licence rules
Your liquor licence may include security conditions, and they can change. We don’t list them here; tell us what applies to your store and we’ll design the cameras, alarm and access control to support it, then document what was installed.
Not legal advice. Check the current rules with the AGLC in Alberta or the LCRB in BC.
How we work around your opening hours
Liquor stores are open long hours, so we plan the work in stages. Cameras and cabling go in during quiet times, and alarm and door work happens before opening or after closing. The alarm is armed and working every night of the job.
Several stores? We can standardise the system across them so staff learn it once. We work across Alberta and BC from our Edmonton head office and our offices in Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna.
Your checklist
Before the site walk
- A floor plan with tills, the stockroom, coolers and the receiving door
- Any security conditions on your licence
- Where incidents have happened before
- Who gets alarm calls and panic alerts
At handover
- Admin access to every system, in your name
- Full documentation and camera views
- Managers trained to export clips for police
- Personal codes or fobs for each staff member
Staff and customer privacy
Alberta’s and BC’s private-sector privacy laws (both called PIPA) apply to video and door logs recorded by businesses. Post signs, point cameras only where you need them, limit who can view footage and keep it only as long as you need it. Keep cameras out of washrooms and staff change areas. Not legal advice.
Tired of grab-and-runs and break-ins?
We’ll walk the store with you, look at every door and till, and give you a written plan.
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Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
Help: Export Avigilon video
Liquor store security questions
What security does a liquor store need?
Cameras with clear faces at the door and views of every till, a monitored alarm with glass-break sensors, panic buttons at the counter and access control on the stockroom and office.
Do you design to AGLC security rules?
We design systems to support your licence requirements. The rules can change, so check the current AGLC rules for your store, or the LCRB rules in BC, and share them with us.
Where should cameras go in a liquor store?
At the entrance at face height, over each till, on aisles with high-value stock, in the stockroom, at the receiving door and over the parking lot.
Can panic buttons be silent?
Yes. Panic buttons send a silent alert to the monitoring centre or a manager, so nobody in the store knows an alert has gone out.
Can staff have their own stockroom codes?
Yes. Each person gets their own fob or code, so every stockroom entry is logged by name and time, and a code is cancelled the day someone leaves.
Can you watch our parking lot after closing?
Yes. Remote video monitoring through our monitoring partner can watch the lot and back door after hours and use a talk-down speaker.
Can you add a temperature alarm to the beer cooler?
Yes. A temperature sensor on your alarm panel alerts staff when the cooler gets too warm or the door is left open.
How fast can we get a clip to police?
We set up clip export and train your managers, so finding and saving a clip is straightforward.
Can you take over the alarm and cameras in our liquor store?
Yes. We take over systems installed by other companies, regain admin access where you own the system, and support it from there.
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Get a liquor store security quote
Tell us about the store: size, tills, stockroom and what you have now. We’ll follow up to book a site walk.
Call and a real person answers, 24/7 for emergencies.