Play #2 - Inspect Your Lighting
AMAROK is proud to announce the second blog in our series of educational articles on keeping your commercial property safe from thieves. If you’re interested in keeping your industrial site, business, or yard safe from would-be criminals, download our Perimeter Security Playbook here.
Bad things happen under the cover of night. Thieves love dark job sites where they can sneak in and out undetected. If your commercial site or freight yard doesn’t have sufficient lighting, you’re putting a target on your property. That’s why proper security lighting is Play #2 in our Perimeter Security Playbook.
Studies show that 3 out of 4 commercial burglaries are committed at properties that lack adequate security lighting. Don’t be a statistic!
Indoor and outdoor lighting are two of the best deterrents to keep thieves off your property because they are “psychological deterrents,” meaning they work with thieves’ inner logic to make them think, “Too risky – I’ll try somewhere else instead.”
Not sure if your commercial property’s lighting is a touchdown? In this article, we’ll be covering the three most important aspects of commercial property security lighting: types of lighting, inspections, and layering.
Types of Outdoor Commercial Property Security Lighting
The main types of commercial security lighting are continuous, emergency, standby, and moveable. Most commercial properties use a combination of these lighting types to keep their equipment and assets safe.
Continuous Lighting – Continuous lighting is the most common type of security lighting for commercial properties. This type of security lighting illuminates your property from dawn to dusk continuously.
If you ever drive by a commercial property at night and say to yourself, “Gosh those lights hurt my eyes,” that’s by design. Heavy glare also makes it harder for criminals to see and also serves as a deterrent by illuminating the area.
Emergency Lighting – Emergency lighting is there in case your usual lighting system fails, such as a power outage. Emergency lighting generally uses power from an alternate source like a generator.
Standby Lighting – Standby lighting is triggered by a timer or motion sensor. Standby lighting is typically used in conjunction with continuous lighting.
Moveable Lighting – Moveable lighting is portable lighting that moves either manually or via a computer system. Moveable lighting is typically used to supplement continuous or standby lighting.
Critical Areas for Security Lighting
While lighting your entire property would be ideal, sometimes that’s not possible, either from a cost perspective or because of lighting codes in your city. But that’s okay because focusing your lighting on certain areas provides the most “bang for your buck” when it comes to theft protection.
Your perimeter is the most important part of your property to illuminate. If a thief wants to access your property, they have to cross your perimeter, so creating a strong perimeter barrier with both security fencing and lighting is the best thing you can do to keep your property safe.
Also, pay special attention to points of entry such as windows, doors, and gates. Motion sensors can help deter thieves in areas without continuous lighting.
Inspect Your Lighting Regularly
Now that you’ve chosen the right types of commercial security lighting for your business, the next step is to inspect them regularly. A lighting system is only as good as its maintenance!
To keep your lighting optimized and working properly, be sure to regularly check for:
- Broken or burned-out bulbs
- Malfunctioning timers
- Obstructions like trees or bushes can create dark spots on your property where thieves can hide emergency lighting failures, so you’re covered if there is a power outage
- Dark spots where you should add illumination, especially around doors, gates, and behind buildings water damage to lighting, or choosing water-resistant LED light show branches or dying trees could cause a power outage if you don’t have solar-powered security lighting.
Layer Lighting with Other Security Features
Commercial security lighting is a strong defensive play against thieves, but it works best as part of a layered approach to commercial security. Just like a football coach uses a variety of plays to win a game, the more elements to your security system, the better.
With commercial equipment and construction site theft costing owners $1 billion every year, it’s critical to create a layered approach to security, with fencing, lighting, electric fencing, and security procedures for your employees and staff.
The harder you make it for criminals to help themselves to your property, the safer your business will be. Deterrence is all about vigilance.
What Type of Lighting Do I Need?
Not sure which type of lighting will offer your business the greatest defense against theft? AMAROK offers free professional security assessments to help you discover gaps in your current lighting and perimeter security. AMAROK offers free security assessments, click below.
