Combating crime is a tough job, but when local business leaders team up with the men in blue, it can bring more positive results — and quickly.

The Jacksonville Onslow Chamber of Commerce and the Jacksonville Police Department in North Carolina recently teamed up to educate hotel owners and employees in the hospitality sectors about crime prevention and increased security. Called the Crime Prevention and Security Seminar, the seminar was designed specifically for hotels, giving participants a thorough idea of the various smart ways to prevent crime on their premises.

It is an excellent start to help the hospitality industry get acquainted with the various possibilities of crime and how to combat them.

Along with thorough crime prevention information, the officers from the department's Community Policing Division also provided information on specific security measures designed especially for the hospitality sector. Armed with this info, they can now improve the security for their hotels and prevent further crimes from occurring.

In light of recent shootings, it is even more important to help make hotels as safe as possible. More hotels, chambers and businesses across the hospitality industry should follow this example and partner with their local law enforcement agencies to beef up their security measures.

So what exactly are we talking about here?

In a recent article, tech journalist Lauren Young detailed how officials can interweave high-end security features into the very fabric of building design itself. She quotes Geoff Manaugh, an architecture writer and blogger of BLDGBLOG, on how invisible security bugs could play a huge role to combat the growing wave of crime in heavily populated and public buildings.

Manaugh used the Nevada Museum of Art as a strategic example to pinpoint an assortment of security features that have been embedded throughout the architecture of the building. He also showcases casinos, which are known to have the best surveillance and security options to help one understand the value of protection.

The hospitality industry could do well to learn from these examples and apply more modern security technologies into their interior layouts, to combat newer and definitely smarter forms of crimes.

The Concorde Hotel Singapore is a great example. Situated in the heart of the Orchard Road shopping belt, the hotel has a fully equipped crisis room and has been periodically boosting security measures to deal with any untoward situations. Its robust security measures makes the hotel well prepared to be the first responder during an emergency before the authorities arrive.

A recent New York Times article advised that multistoried hotels are safer than others when it comes to guest safety. They have better video surveillance, front desk and lobbies with more employees than say a smaller motel. They also feature heavier doors that comply with fire regulations, which makes it harder for perpetrators to break in easily.

But let's not forget that criminals are getting smarter every day, perhaps at a pace much faster than the cities themselves are.

As Karl Muir, general manager for Concorde Hotel Singapore, pointed out, hotels are increasingly becoming "soft targets" for terrorism. It makes sense for the hospitality industry to work hand in hand with the authorities and find out better avenues to safeguard their properties, employees and their guests.