During the holiday season, commercial businesses must prepare for increased crime. According to a CargoNet analysis, cargo theft incidents tend to spike during the winter holiday season, with truck stops, parking lots, warehouses, and distribution centers being the most targeted locations.
Criminals take action during the holidays because they know staffing levels are lower and properties are left unattended for longer periods. They also know that some businesses increase their inventory of desirable goods, like expensive electronics, during the holidays.
Fortunately, there are many ways to prepare for a high-crime season and effectively protect your assets. Here are safety and security tips to get your business ready for the holidays, 12 days at a time:
Day 1: Conduct a Thorough Risk Assessment
On the first day of your journey to enhanced security, conduct a risk assessment. Check your existing security measures, like your fence, surveillance cameras, and alarm systems, and ensure they’re all working properly. Determine if any vulnerabilities need to be addressed, taking local crime data and past incidents into account. Be as thorough as possible and consider all potential risks so you can implement the right controls.
If you want to be sure you cover every angle, consider having security professionals conduct the risk assessment for you. These experts are experienced in identifying vulnerabilities, including those that align with current theft trends. They can provide effective recommendations to address risks promptly.
Day 2: Contact Perimeter Security Experts
An impenetrable perimeter is vital to protecting your property, people, and profits. It should be designed to keep unauthorized individuals off your property 24/7. If your perimeter has been breached in the past, or if crime is rising in your area, consider having it evaluated by experts who specialize in perimeter security. They can identify vulnerabilities and recommend solutions to keep criminals out.
For example, they might recommend installing an electric security fence if you want to be proactive against increasing crime rates. Electric fences physically keep criminals out by delivering a safe but memorable pulsed shock if they attempt a breach. They also serve as highly effective visual deterrents, making potential intruders think twice.
Day 3: Install Video Surveillance Cameras
Before the holidays arrive, consider installing more security cameras or upgrading your current ones. Ideally, a video camera should be ready to capture unusual activity at every access point and perimeter.
Although cameras can’t stop crime, they can help deter criminals like opportunistic thieves. Most importantly, they’re essential components of proactive, multilayered security, giving you evidence to initiate a fast response from law enforcement.
Many cameras connect to the cloud, allowing you to view your property remotely. Consider camera technology that integrates with other security measures, like an electric fence or access control system. This combination creates a layered security approach, the most effective way to prevent crime.
Day 4: Tighten Your Access Control
If you’re in the logistics industry, your employees must look out for fictitious pickups — a form of cargo theft that increases during the holidays. Fictitious pickups are when a criminal impersonates a truck driver and uses forged documentation to gain access to a commercial property and steal cargo.
One way to protect against fictitious pickups is to implement more robust access control at your gate. For example, sophisticated credential readers and cameras can deter criminals and prevent unauthorized access when integrated into a secure perimeter.
Day 5: Carefully Vet Seasonal Hires
Sometimes, crime is an inside job. If you plan to hire more employees for the holiday rush, screen them thoroughly to understand who you’re hiring. This process may include running background checks, checking references, and verifying personal information.
Likewise, if you work with freight carriers, it’s important to vet them extensively so you know who’s transporting your valuable cargo. You can search carriers on the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System for a quick company overview.
Day 6: Train Employees on Security Protocols
An important holiday tip for your building’s staff is to ensure they know common criminal tactics. Teach your employees about the unique risks they might encounter during the holidays and how to respond.
For example, employees should know how to recognize suspicious activity relevant to their industry and use security measures like surveillance cameras to capture it. They should also know how to share video footage with law enforcement and report the activity promptly. Also, staff should never treat a triggered alarm as false — criminals often repeatedly trip alarms to make it seem like a security system is faulty.
Day 7: Evaluate Your Cybersecurity Health
Today’s criminals combine cybercrime with property crime tactics to deceive business owners and gain access to their facilities. For example, criminals might use phishing emails and malware attacks to access data like delivery or driver information. They can then use this information to create false paperwork and carry out a fictitious pickup.
In safeguarding your property’s physical assets, make sure your data systems are secure too. Becoming aware of cybersecurity best practices and training employees accordingly can help protect your business against cyberthreats.
Day 8: Increase Your Property’s Lighting
One of the most impactful holiday safety tips for worksites concerns evaluating a property’s lighting. Bright lighting can help deter opportunistic thieves who fear being seen by community members, police, or employees.
Check your property for burned-out bulbs and areas that could use more light. You’ll want to make sure your parking lot, walkways, access points, and perimeter are well-lit to keep employees safe and help deter would-be intruders. Additionally, consider integrating an alarm-based lighting system with your perimeter barrier to prevent criminals from attempting a breach.
Day 9: Install GPS Tracking Devices on Targeted Assets
If you want to know where your equipment or tools are at all times, consider tagging your assets with GPS trackers. GPS technology uses signals from satellites, translates that information into location data, and shares it with a user’s device. By attaching GPS trackers to heavy equipment, vehicles, valuable inventory, or other assets, you can track their location in real-time from anywhere. That way, if you spot something unusual, you can investigate the issue and take action promptly.
Day 10: Secure Trailers and Tractors With High-Quality Locks
Will in-transit cargo be left unattended over the holidays? If so, help protect loaded trailers from criminal activity with heavy-duty locks and tamper-evident seals.
For example, encourage truck drivers to secure cargo with high-quality barrier seals and lock trailer doors with hardened steel padlocks that resist cutting. Drivers can also use kingpin locks to protect unattached trailers and safeguard their trucks by applying steering column or air brake locks before heading home for the holidays.
Day 11: Ensure Employees Implement Basic Security Measures
Basic security measures can go a long way in deterring criminal activity, especially opportunistic theft. These practices might include reminding employees to remove keys from vehicles or equipment, lock doors, and move assets into secure areas. Also, employees should be encouraged to alert management or security personnel if they notice any unusual activity, like unauthorized individuals lurking near the property.
Day 12: Partner With Experienced Security Specialists
If you feel uncertain about your property’s security, know that you don’t have to tackle it alone. Security professionals can monitor your facility around the clock so you can enjoy the holidays with peace of mind.
At AMAROK, we offer remote monitoring services and closely watch your perimeter every day of the year. We combine cloud-based software with video surveillance cameras for 24/7 monitoring. Our security specialists will notify you immediately and promptly contact law enforcement if there’s suspicious activity or an attempted breach.
Enjoy a Secure Holiday Season With AMAROK
Let the perimeter security experts at AMAROK help you rest easy during the holidays by building a robust, multilayered security system. We offer innovative, highly effective electric fencing solutions and additional security measures to prevent crime at commercial locations. Our services begin with a free threat assessment so we can identify your risks and recommend the best solution for your unique security needs.
Contact us today to schedule an expert threat assessment or speak with an AMAROK representative near you.
