Security is not what it once was. For property owners, the idea of what proper security entails has changed dramatically over the years, and it needs to. Gone are the days of simple alarm systems or static cameras. As a property owner, commercial building manager, or construction coordinator, knowing what’s accessible and available to you makes all the difference in protecting your investment.
Unfortunately, most property owners don’t realize what’s lacking in their security until it’s too late. Instead of an ounce of prevention, they get a pound of cure, and that’s when things are already going wrong.
The Importance of Alarm System Installation
Most properties have some version of alarm installed. This is a good first step; however, it’s actually the minimum property owners should provide to their investments. An alarm system merely tells you someone is already on your property. It’s reactive, not proactive, meant to scare intruders away with a loud noise but not before any damage or theft takes place.
Proper modern security creates a layered approach, which can include everything from heightened sensitivity to patrol service that can ensure no one ever reaches your valuables in the first place. By creating multiple elements of obstacle to get through, your property becomes less appealing. If a criminal has to overcome four different barriers, chances are they’ll scrap their plan and move on to something easier.
Professional Monitoring Services
One of those components is professional monitoring. Having someone professionally watch your assets through mobile patrol or on-site guards makes all the difference. For properties that require consistent protection, utilizing companies like site view security create that human element that technology cannot provide on its own. While cameras may provide documentation, only a person can respond to incidents in real-time.
For example, security patrols can identify if a fence was cut and someone was trying to sneak in at this very moment. Patrol officers can respond faster than they can get on the phone and alert authorities. In many cases, the preventative step happens before crime even transpires. Unfortunately, with stationary alarm systems as the only step, crime might come to fruition before an owner is even aware.
The Importance of Human Patrols
While video analytics, high-definition cameras, motion sensors and smart systems are all part of new technology, and they fill an integral gap, they’re still not the complete answer. Criminals know how to avoid systems or disable them altogether. They watch people come and go to assess when they aren’t home or at work.
But what they don’t know is if and when a security patrol will show up at any given moment. They assume that their plans may go unchallenged, but that’s not always true. Someone checking the properties and opening car doors every now and again may catch something that persons planning and scheming for weeks never would, because they’re looking for a vulnerable space on the other side of the fence where they can’t be seen.
By layering multiple strategies together, you obtain a security system that actually offers protection instead of merely documenting what went wrong after the fact.
Construction Properties
Construction sites are different; they’re constantly evolving and transform properties as they’re being built and taken down. Expensive construction materials need protection as well as tools left out in the open.
Construction theft costs property owners and contractors thousands yearly; tools such as copper wire and landscaping materials are primary theft items. Construction fencing is helpful; however, it’s often not enough.
Due to workers coming in and out frequently, and different areas of the site transforming day by day, it’s hard to pinpoint who should or shouldn’t be there since delivery trucks also come throughout their workday. Patrol security officers will move through sites in vehicles and foot traffic; if something seems off, they can investigate.
Commercial Warehouses
Commercial properties can yield some serious security headaches for property owners, especially if we’re talking about a warehouse. Warehouses are typically located in industrial areas, or even adjacent to parking lots, meaning high-value inventory is exposed and there are multiple entry points into structures.
It’s easy for intruders to forge access into properties where no one else might be present, unless there are security patrols on standby. The size of some warehouses could stretch over several thousand square meters, which makes it very hard for someone to navigate without being caught somewhere else.
Regular security patrols can effectively comb through warehouses; guards can check loading docks, door tests and verify entry points in addition to responding as necessary should something sound off.
Retail Spaces
Retail spaces differ from other types of properties with foot traffic (after all, we have customers moving in and out during open hours). Financially, retail spaces must invest substantially into merchandise displays, cash registers and loss prevention systems must integrate with customer experience.
Security can’t impede customer experience or they may choose to shop elsewhere but at the same time, breaking into stores after hours is a quick way for criminals to find low-hanging fruit.
Proper awareness is necessary for foot traffic limited spaces as well; most retail break-ins happen after hours while no one else is present. Having a security patrol check your space, or verify it’s locked down every so often, means broken glass won’t go unchecked for hours or a door won’t be forced open until it’s too late.
What Deters Crime
The biggest deterrent for criminals is understanding what makes them pick one target over another; if they see a property unmonitored with no parking lot lights, it becomes an easy entry point. But if they see three layers of security set up outside, they’ll likely find it easier to move on.
This isn’t saying sporadic monitoring isn’t helpful, but it’s far better when clients employ consistent monitoring services that establish presence over time. A guard driving through a parking lot might catch more than someone watching from afar, and documentation proves less useful than someone with technology who can respond.
Patrol schedules that are consistent, but unpredictable, do more good than any lack of attention ever could.
Deciding What Security Level Is Needed
Many property owners wonder what type of security they actually need; first assess what’s protected (is it inventory? A residential property? Materials?); where they’re located (commercial industrial sites are better than residential ones); what hours materials/people are present; what the community crime incident rate is and how often crimes occur with regional comparable properties will help formulate an idea.
Honest assessment is important; walk your property and check prospective areas during vulnerable times (are there great spots for access? Where are blind spots? Which areas can’t be seen from the street? Where would you hypothetically try to break in?)
Then create an assessed plan from there with proper commercial-grade lighting, professional assistance or educated guidance about what’s needed most.
Taking responsibility for recovery rarely works; investing in proper security systems creates less stress than dealing with theft or vandalism after the fact, which is even more true for liability purposes when considering employee safety complications.
Today’s advancements make property security trends better than ever before; comprehensive systems overlap technology with physical presence with professional assistance that prevents problems from occurring in the first place instead of merely documenting what’s gone wrong.
Comments are closed.