It’s Friday at 5 p.m. With keys in hand, you start to check your mental list to ensure your business is protected from theft. Are your entrances secured? Doors locked? Alarm system activated? Is your property safe? Last year almost half of cargo thefts reported to CargoNet took place between Friday and Sunday. To help you prevent theft on your property over the weekend, we have created a list of 4 ways to improve your business security guidelines.
3 Reasons Commercial Burglaries Occur on the Weekends
- Business sites are less densely populated
- Delayed notification to law enforcement
- Thieves have more time to transfer stolen merchandise
Author and renowned cargo and business security specialist J.J. Coughlin provides insight in his book, “Cargo Crime: Security and Theft Prevention”. “Thieves like to operate when fewer people are around and when buildings are left to the protection of alarms and other systems that can be beaten or manipulated.” Also, commercial burglaries that occur on the weekend take longer to be discovered. This allows the thieves to “get out of Dodge” well before law enforcement is ever notified.
Tactics Utilized By Burglars to Bypass Your Business Security System
- Beware of suspicious false alarms. Commercial burglars will often trigger your alarm to test the response time of law enforcement or company personnel. In some cases thieves will continue to “trip” the alarm in hopes you think it is broken and either cut it off or begin to ignore the signal.
- Notice chalk or pencil marks around doorways? Employees or visitors may mark exterior “break points” or “laser beams” with chalk for commercial burglaries and cargo theft. Be aware of all visitors on the site at all times. Secure delivery points and have a process for drivers to follow.
- Are you receiving phone calls with no answer on the other end? Some thieves will park nearby and call the location phone to see if there is a guard on duty. They may also use the ringing phone to alert an accomplice who is already on site.
Ways to Enhance Your Business Security Protocols & System Over the Weekend
- Remove stacked pallets, picnic tables and other equipment that would allow commercial burglars to quickly bypass the fence or building. These could also be used as a tool to quickly move your assets off the property
- Remove keys inside of heavy equipment and company vehicles. To enhance your business security protocols, store the keys in a locked box and store the box inside of the building. Consider parking your vehicles in a way that ensures they cannot be easily broken into. For example, we recommend parking trucks back-to-back so the doors cannot be opened
- Ensure there is adequate lighting on your entire site over the weekend.
- Keep the high-dollar items closest to the facility or toward the center of your lot. Keep the most valuable items out of eye-shot.
Taking these measures will help to minimize the losses that may occur but you must look to a multilayered perimeter security solution to properly deter criminals completely. As stated by Scott Cornell of Travelers, “Theft prevention is best applied in a layered approach involving education, awareness and process.” To prevent theft on your property over the weekend, give our team a call by phone at (800) 432-6391 to receive support. AMAROK is an organization that specializes in perimeter security. We offer business security solutions such as electric security fences, alarms, and video surveillance.
