What to Consider When Building The Best Perimeter Security System for Your Property
In 2023, there were over 20.8 million property crimes, ranging from burglaries to vandalism, arson, and motor vehicle theft. Businesses of all kinds are common targets. For example, there were 2.7 million incidents in parking areas, 284,134 at self-storage facilities, and 219,202 at construction sites. These events cause property owners to lose time and money navigating insurance claims and repairing damage. Future revenue may also decline if crime dampens customers’ trust in your ability to keep them and their belongings safe.
The frequency and impact of these crimes demonstrate the need to invest in effective types of perimeter security to protect your assets, productivity, and profitability.
Perimeter Security Options to Protect Your Property
Multiple options exist to develop an integrated, layered security strategy for your business.
Security Guards
Human security guards are among the first perimeter security types many businesses consider. Guards can offer distinct benefits as part of a comprehensive, layered strategy:
- Active patrols are a visual security reminder whose presence can help deter attempted criminal activity.
- An observant guard or patrol team provides peace of mind to visitors and occupants by boosting safety perception.
- On-site security guards can quickly respond to any threats and help limit the scope of a physical security breach.
- Guards undergo security training that equips them to detect suspicious activity, assist law enforcement, and preserve evidence.
- Unlike stationary cameras and other fixed solutions, guards can move freely about the property to detect and deter crime.
Access Control
Access control is a proactive way to prevent unauthorized entry to your property. These solutions help restrict traffic by permitting access only to those with legitimate purposes. Options to consider include:
- Security gates
- Credential readers, such as those that scan QR codes, biometric features, or key cards and fobs
- Audio and video systems
- Code-entry pads
Today’s advanced options easily integrate with other strategies for multi-layered security. For example, combine a security gate with credential readers or cameras with license plate recognition technology. On-site guards can also remotely operate the gate after verifying authorized individuals through visual evidence and intercoms.
Surveillance Cameras
Strategically placed cameras can also proactively help deter crime as part of a layered strategy. Cameras enable live video surveillance and remote monitoring to keep watch over your perimeter 24/7/365. Multiple options exist to mitigate risks:
- Pan-tilt-zoom cameras move left to right, up and down, and zoom in and out for increased surveilling flexibility.
- Thermal cameras detect heat signals that can reveal a potential intruder.
- Infrared cameras provide clear images in low-light environments.
- Wide dynamic range cameras automatically adjust to reduce glare from the sun or headlights for enhanced clarity.
- Stationary cameras come in styles like dome, bullet, fisheye, and turret to meet fixed-point security needs.
Perimeter Lighting
Most thieves prefer to act in the dark since decreased visibility makes it more challenging to observe their activities. Lighting increases the chances of thieves being seen, helping to deter crime. It also improves visibility for video surveillance and guard patrols and integrates with alarms and sensors for higher security. As a result, good lighting is a fundamental component of effective perimeter security.
Typical styles include floodlights and mountable fixtures that are affixed to walls or fence posts. Bright, wide-angled lights illuminate large areas of the property, while smaller, regularly spaced lights are ideal for general visibility. Options like LED bulbs, motion-activated fixtures, or automatic dusk-to-dawn lights help conserve energy.
Sensors and Alarms
Adding sensors and alarms to a layered perimeter security system boosts protection by drawing unwanted attention to criminal activity. These options work in coordination, with the sensors triggering alarms when they detect a potential threat. Multiple sensor styles are available to reduce perimeter security risks:
- Motion sensors send alerts when they detect nearby movement.
- Microphone sensors pick up on certain audible signals, such as breaking glass.
- Seismic sensors trigger alarms in response to vibrations, like a criminal trying to climb a fence.
Fences
Physical barriers are the primary defense for perimeter security since they help stop criminals from getting on your property. Fences are ideal for preventing unauthorized entries, with many styles available to meet varying security needs.
Electric fencing is the smartest solution to perimeter security because it offers the most powerful deterrence. Warning signs provide a visual reminder of serious protection, which makes thieves think twice. If they persist with an attempted breach, a pulsed, legal shock awaits them for a safe but memorable deterrent.
Further, electric fencing is compatible with all existing perimeter fencing since it’s installed inside the current fence line. These types of perimeter security solutions also work in conjunction with other approaches. For example, you can easily add lights and alarms, video surveillance, and access control measures to strengthen protection. Additional physical barriers you can incorporate into a multilevel perimeter security plan include gates and bollards.
What to Consider When Choosing a Perimeter Security Solution
There are several key factors to consider when designing the best perimeter security solution for your business.
Develop a Multi-Layered Strategy
A multi-layered approach is the bedrock of all successful perimeter security strategies because individual components have vulnerabilities. For example, cameras aren’t effective on their own — they only see and record crime, not stop it. Similarly, security guards alone aren’t enough since they can’t be everywhere at once. Savvy thieves learn guards’ routines and time breach attempts when patrols are occurring in a distant property area.
Instituting several layers develops a more comprehensive solution. Each element is crucial and creates a cohesive system to detect, deter, and delay crime.
Assess Your Specific Risks
Every business has unique risks, from its on-site assets to its operational workflows and physical property elements. The ideal approach for a fixed in-town location differs from that of a rural construction site with daily topography changes. Conducting a thorough threat assessment can guide your decisions. This evaluation can help you objectively identify your specific risks so you can customize a plan for mitigating them.
Partner With a Professional
Professional expertise is the best path to practical, effective perimeter security. No matter how high the quality of your equipment, a flawed design or installation can leave gaps. A perimeter security expert can prevent these pitfalls and recommend the right types of perimeter security systems for you.
Implement Ultimate Perimeter Security With AMAROK
AMAROK offers the ideal approach to comprehensive perimeter security. Start with The Electric Guard Dog™ Fence, our imposing physical barrier that delivers a safe but memorable jolt to intruders. We offer our solution with no upfront installation costs — instead, you pay a convenient monthly subscription price that includes maintenance and repair.
This protection integrates with your existing physical barrier and other security options, including video surveillance and monitoring. Additional enhancements are also available, and our team will work with you to create your ideal perimeter security strategy.
Contact your local AMAROK security expert or connect with us online to learn more.
