Criminals often target self-storage facilities in the hope of stealing valuable goods. For example, in April 2024, thieves used creative tactics to take an estimated $10,000 worth of belongings from a storage unit in Seattle. In the same month, Nashville investigators discovered that over 75% of the nearly 100 storage facilities they reviewed had called the police to report robberies, theft, burglaries, or holdups.
Criminals employ various methods to break into self-storage units, from cutting locks to forcing entry. It often takes a fierce, multilayered approach to safeguard commercial property against determined criminals. Depending on your location and current security infrastructure, this could mean making one improvement or enhancing your entire system.
To give you a head start, here are 10 ways to improve your self-storage facility’s security system so you can protect your customers’ belongings and your reputation:
1. Build a Strong Barrier With Electric Fencing
Does your property’s fence appear formidable to potential intruders? Is it very difficult to breach? If it’s weak in either of those areas, consider how you can strengthen it.
Your storage facility’s fence is the first layer of protection. Studies show that physical barriers are crucial components of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED encompasses proactive, multifaceted strategies to deter crime by making criminal activity more challenging and increasing the chance of getting caught.
For example, university researchers explored interviews of active juvenile vandals and discovered that physical barriers successfully deterred them because they make it too difficult to get in — and they’d rather move to easier targets. This research illustrates the efficacy of territoriality, which creates the perception that an area is too high-risk for criminals because it’s monitored and well-maintained.
What about determined criminals who are willing to take greater risks? Consider a boundary that’s highly effective as both a visual and physical deterrent. One such barrier, an electric fence, is a sure way to drastically enhance security and make strategic offenders think twice.
Electric security fences are installed on the inside of a regular fence. If a criminal attempts to breach an electric fence, they’ll experience pulsed electricity, which delivers a medically safe but memorable shock.
Electric fences are also powerful visual deterrents — most criminals give up before even trying when they spot an electrocution warning sign displayed on an electric fence.
2. Upgrade Your Video Surveillance System
Do you feel confident in your current video surveillance system? If the answer is no, it’s time to reassess your equipment.
Video surveillance is essential to a well-rounded security strategy. First, just the sight of a surveillance camera is enough to make some people reconsider a criminal act.
If criminals don’t notice security cameras or decide to proceed nonetheless, you’ll catch them in action. With remote monitoring capabilities, you can verify criminal activity in real-time and notify law enforcement, enabling a quick response.
Today’s video surveillance technology surpasses solutions of the past by far, offering features like:
- Analytical capabilities to aid quick decision-making.
- Infrared visibility to capture images in low-light conditions.
- Easy integration with other security technology like alarms and electric fences.
- Remote monitoring to watch a facility 24/7 from anywhere.
Once you decide to add cameras, you’ll need to determine where to place them. Doing so requires careful planning to ensure a comprehensive view of your property.
It’s recommended that you have cameras monitoring all entrances and exits and positioned to cover your whole perimeter so your team can identify an attempted breach. If feasible, each aisle at your facility should also be monitored by a video camera.
If you’re unsure about video surveillance placement, consider partnering with perimeter security experts. Security equipment professionals can assess your property and help you identify the most effective placement points.
3. Enhance Your Self-Storage Facility’s Security Gate
An unauthorized person can pass through a storage facility gate in different ways, even with a keypad in place. For example, if all of your customers use the same pin to unlock the gate, the code could have easily gotten into the wrong hands at some point. To increase security, consider changing your system and assigning individual entry pins to each customer. That way, their pin expires when they stop renting a storage unit, decreasing the risk of a breach.
Sometimes, changing the access method isn’t enough to deter criminals, who might trail behind legitimate customers after the gate opens. Therefore, taking a multilayered approach to access control is the most effective way to reduce incidents of unauthorized access. For instance, installing cameras with license plate recognition technology at the gate can alert security to suspicious activity.
With the advanced access control technology available today, all of your security devices can be integrated into a single, seamless system and connected to a digital record. Depending on your security needs, incorporating new technology can be a cost-effective way to maximize gate security — without compromising convenience for your customers and employees.
4. Ensure Adequate Facility Lighting
A secure self-storage facility is well-lit inside and out, helping customers feel safe and deterring criminals. Lighting is an important component of natural surveillance — another pillar of CPTED.
Natural surveillance prevents crime because it provides opportunities for employees, customers, or community members to spot suspicious activity. It also deters criminals by making it apparent that they have an increased chance of getting caught. The key to enabling natural surveillance is increasing visibility, often achieved through lighting.
Adequate lighting also helps surveillance cameras pick up finer details, like facial features. Additionally, some lighting solutions are integrated with perimeter alarms. Alarm-based lighting systems flood an area with light when triggered, immediately deterring intruders.
To ensure your property is adequately lit, walk around your facility at night, looking for dark corners or shadowy areas to eliminate. Your lighting should be bright and even, meaning it covers the area without creating too many shadows.
You’ll want enough light to illuminate your parking lot, perimeter, and walkways. The inside of your facility should also be well-lit, leaving nothing to your customers’ imaginations. Security professionals can help you design an energy-efficient lighting setup that meets your needs and integrates with your whole security system.
5. Activate Building Intrusion Detection
Self-storage facilities have to defend against a variety of tactics — including premeditated theft. Installing a building intrusion detection system is another layer of protection for your business and customers.
A robust building intrusion detection system consists of several components, such as wireless motion detectors and door contacts.
Motion detectors sense motion within a given range. You can select motion detectors that send alerts to your mobile device if triggered after business hours so you can respond. When combined with video surveillance cameras, motion detectors enable you to verify unauthorized access quickly so you can notify law enforcement.
A building intrusion detection may also include door contacts that detect and send notifications when a door opens. These are available for windows as well.
6. Install Electronic Smart Locks
Cutting locks is one of the most common methods thieves use to break into self-storage units. Lower-quality locks with exposed shackles, like padlocks, can be cut through with bolt cutters in seconds. If your facility has been impacted by lock cutting repeatedly, consider installing electronic smart locks on individual storage units.
Electronic locks vary by manufacturer, but they’re typically installed directly on the outside of a unit door. Using wireless technology and a mobile app, customers can unlock their storage unit through their devices. This solution protects against lock cutting and can increase convenience for customers because they no longer have to carry keys — or worry about losing them.
Smart locks have benefits for you too. With some advanced solutions, you can ensure all units are locked by logging onto a digital platform, saving yourself the trouble of walking around the facility. You’ll also attract customers looking for more modern and secure storage options.
7. Implement Zoned Perimeter Intrusion Detection
The sooner you detect an attempted security breach, the faster you can respond. A perimeter intrusion detection system (PIDS) helps you or your security team catch intruders before they commit a crime.
A PIDS may include a range of different technologies designed to detect criminals attempting to breach perimeter security. Several types of PIDS are available and made to work in conjunction with other security measures, like a fence.
For example, barrier-mounted perimeter detection sensors integrate with many types of fencing, including chain-link fences. These sensors are installed strategically on a fencing system to create protective “zones.” If someone tries to cut or climb a fence within a zoned area, the sensor triggers an alarm notifying the appropriate party to take action.
If your facility would benefit from perimeter detection sensors, consider integrating them with carefully angled surveillance cameras. That way, you can capture and verify evidence of an attempted breach. Additionally, look for sensor technology that automatically adjusts to changing environmental conditions to prevent weather-related false alarms.
8. Consider Internal Storage Unit Alarms
With over 50,000 self-storage facilities in the United States, you may face intense competition against other facilities in your region. One way to set yourself apart while increasing security is to install storage unit alarms. Storage unit alarms show customers you went the extra mile to protect their belongings.
While other security measures, like a robust fencing system and surveillance cameras, are still essential, storage unit alarms can help combat internal theft. It’s not unheard of for criminals to rent a storage unit to access the facility and steal from other units. Individual unit alarms defend property against this technique.
There are many types of alarms available, including wireless and wired versions. Wireless alarms are easy to install and connect to smart systems, so customers can receive alerts remotely if there’s a breach. Depending on the device, it might function as both a motion detector and a siren to deter criminals.
You could install alarms on every unit to automatically enhance security for all your customers, or only offer them on a select few at a higher rental price. Another option is to allow customers to rent a unit alarm, introducing another way to generate revenue.
9. Perform Property Maintenance
A well-maintained property does more than look attractive to potential customers — it’s an important part of ensuring security. Damaged fencing, doors, and gates can weaken a property’s security infrastructure. Meanwhile, overgrown vegetation provides hiding spaces for intruders. A poorly maintained facility also creates the perception that the property isn’t monitored, encouraging criminals to act.
The first step to ensuring your property’s security system is in excellent condition is to inspect it. As you walk through your property, check for the following:
- Burned-out or broken lightbulbs
- Overgrown vegetation
- Improperly positioned surveillance cameras
- Camera or lighting obstructions
- Damaged fencing or walls
- Damaged or unlocked gates, doors, or windows
Also, consider testing your alarm and access control systems to ensure they function properly.
Once you’ve inspected your self-storage facility’s security system, create a checklist of actions to bring it into shape. Plan to look over your security system about once a month to ensure everything is working correctly. Consider doing a weekly walk-through to confirm that your barriers, entry points, and lighting fixtures haven’t been tampered with.
10. Conduct a Threat Assessment
Sometimes, it can be challenging to identify the steps needed to improve security. If your property’s vulnerabilities aren’t immediately clear, consider conducting a threat assessment.
A threat assessment helps you pinpoint your facility’s potential security risks so you can determine your needs before investing in upgrades. This review involves considering local crime data and incidents that occurred at your facility. It also requires inspecting your property for weaknesses like overgrown vegetation, poor lighting, and damaged barriers.
After conducting a threat assessment, determine your objectives and devise a plan for improving your storage facility’s security.
Contact AMAROK for Self-Storage Security Solutions That Work
Your customers count on you to keep their belongings safe. Improving your property’s security and taking a proactive, multilayered approach to crime prevention can be a pivotal business move. Retain your customers’ trust and protect your reputation with AMAROK.
At AMAROK, we specialize in installing highly effective electric security fences. We also offer fence enhancements, video surveillance cameras, and additional security equipment to provide a turnkey, all-in-one solution. Our process begins by understanding your facility’s vulnerabilities so we can recommend a solution that serves your budget and security needs.
As a security-as-a-service provider, we handle installation, maintenance, upgrades, and repairs under a fixed monthly fee with no upfront costs. Your subscription also includes 24/7 support, compliance, and permitting assistance, as well as the AMAROK liability guarantee.
Ready to stop theft before it happens? Find an AMAROK representative near you to take the first step toward proactive threat prevention.
