Commercial properties are often filled with high-value equipment, vehicles, and inventory, and you’re likely already focused on keeping those safe. But did you know you have a ton of other items on your property that are targets for thieves? Though lower in value than heavy equipment or inventory, having these items stolen can still be a headache, causing downtime and lost profits for you.
1. Copper Wire and Pipes
Copper is a valuable commodity for thieves these days, selling at $2-$4 per pound on the resale market. Rising prices have triggered a new wave of copper theft where thieves steal copper wiring and piping to quickly sell to recyclers.
“$1 billion worth of copper is stolen every year.” - U.S. Dept. of Energy
Where do thieves steal copper? Everywhere.
In the agriculture industry, farmers are having copper wiring stolen from their irrigation equipment. In the public safety sector, a San Joaquin 911 call center was knocked out of service recently when thieves helped themselves to the center’s copper wiring. Homes, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and commercial properties are all wired for power with copper wiring – older buildings often have copper water pipes, making them prime targets for copper thieves.
2. Keys
You can buy a key for a few bucks, but the value of what that key unlocks is unlimited. Keys to your buildings, toolboxes, vehicles, rental equipment, gates and more are some of the most valuable things thieves can get their hands on.
If your company’s keys are stolen, it’s likely that thieves will return for easy entry into your property. And once you’re a victim of theft, your likelihood of being a victim again skyrockets – now, thieves better understand the layout of your property and security vulnerabilities they can exploit. Taking a proactive security approach is paramount to preventing future thefts.
3. Company Vehicle License Plates
Stolen license plates are big business. Why steal a license plate? Police randomly run tags on vehicles, and if a license plate is expired, associated with a suspended license, or on a car reported as stolen, they’ll pull the car over and potentially arrest the driver. So, criminals use stolen license plates to hide themselves from police in plain sight.
If a thief steals your license plate, you may not even know! They will often switch out your plate with another one, so you don’t notice and report the plate stolen. Unless you know your tag number and check every time you get into your vehicle, you could be driving with the wrong license plate right now!
Stolen license plates are a headache to replace. Between the DMV and police reports, to the risk of getting pulled over because the tag on your car is registered to a stolen vehicle!
Lumber prices have skyrocketed – increasing more than 300% since 2020, making lumber a high-ticket item for criminals. With lumber expensive and hard to come by, theft can cause a major impact on your operations, resulting in project delays, missed deadlines, and unhappy customers that could tarnish your reputation.
4. Lumber
Lumber prices have skyrocketed – increasing more than 300% since 2020, making lumber a high-ticket item for criminals. With lumber expensive and hard to come by, theft can cause a major impact on your operations, resulting in project delays, missed deadlines, and unhappy customers that could tarnish your reputation.
“The recovery rate of stolen construction site materials and equipment is less than 20%.”
5. Anything Auto Related – Literally, Anything
If you’ve got vehicles on your lot, you’re at risk for theft. Here are just some of the auto parts that are hot targets for theft:
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- CPC Modules- Due to supply chain issues and shortages, these are increasingly valuable to criminals. CPC modules, which are the “brains” of trucks, range from $1,400 – $1,600 retail but are being sold on the underground market from $4,000 – $8,000.
- Gasoline- With rising gas prices, criminals have resorted to siphoning gas from company vehicles. Not only can this be costly to your business, but it’s another disruption to your daily operations.
- Tires and Rims- With no identification or serial numbers on tires and rims, they are nearly impossible to recover once stolen and are easily sold on sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
Is Your Site Vulnerable to Theft?
Get in touch with one of our security experts today for a free Threat Assessment. We’ll help identify any potential vulnerabilities on your property, analyze local crime data to assess your level of risk, and show you how to take a proactive approach to prevent theft. Contact us today.
