Summertime means more than beach vacations and backyard barbecues. With warm weather comes a whole new slew of security issues for your commercial site. In particular, vehicle theft, which skyrockets in the summer months.
If your commercial site is home to company vehicles, delivery trucks, tractor-trailers, and heavy equipment, you’re most likely to experience a vehicle theft during the summer. Now is the time to get proactive about stopping vehicle theft before it happens!
The true cost of commercial vehicle theft.
The FBI reports that motor vehicle theft has risen by 48% in the average city over the past decade.
Vehicle theft can cost you a lot more than your insurance deductible.
If a customer’s vehicle is stolen at your property, your reputation in the community will likely take a hit, robbing you of new business. Customers won’t risk doing business with you if there’s a chance their property will be stolen or damaged by criminals
Theft of company vehicles also leads to operational downtime and a reduction in productivity, further cutting into your profits and damaging your reputation as a company that delivers goods and services on time.
And don’t forget – for every theft your business experiences, your insurance rates will go up. One too many, and your insurance carrier can drop you altogether, leaving you to foot the bill on your own.
Take a Proactive Approach to the Summer Season With These Recommendations:
Although commercial vehicle theft can be devastating to your business, don’t panic. There’s a lot you can do now to ward off thieves during the high crime summer months.
1. Amp up your lot lighting
Thieves depend on the cover of darkness to keep their criminal activities secret. That’s why more 
than 2/3 of all vehicle thefts occur at night. And while you can’t control the sun, you can do the next best thing – bring in commercial property lighting.
75% of commercial burglaries are committed at sites that lack adequate lighting!
Adding additional lighting is a great way to deter thieves from helping themselves to your vehicles. When assessing your current commercial lighting, check for:
- Burned out or malfunctioning bulbs.
- Areas where thieves could hide in shadows from foliage or buildings.
- Properly lit doorways and gates.
2. Focus on vegetation 
Landscaping beautifies any business. But it can also give thieves a place to hide while they’re scoping out your property… waiting on the right time to strike. Make sure vegetation on and around your property is cut back so that it does not:
- Provide dark locations where thieves can hide.
- Touch your electric perimeter fence and trigger false alarms.
- Provide cover near your fence or buildings.
3. Secure your vehicles
Once a thief is on your property, preventing crime becomes a game of time. They try their best to get in and get out as quickly as possible. If it takes too long to access your vehicles or cargo, they’re more likely to give up and run away empty-handed.
- Lock your vehicles and take your keys home every night – 209 vehicles a day are stolen simply because the keys were left inside!
- Invest in steering wheel locks, wheel locks, and brake locks – which take time and effort to remove.
- Take the batteries – Not generally feasible for every day, but well worth the effort for a long weekend or vacation.
- Store your vehicles in a secured location such as a locked garage or vehicle lot.
4. Layer Your Perimeter Security
Property theft is often a crime of opportunity, so if your assets are difficult to get to, the thief will move down the street. A layered security approach gives would-be thieves an obstacle course of deterrents. We recommend that your layered security include:
- Remote Monitoring – Keeping an eye on your property can help you catch and prosecute a thief and recover your vehicles.
- Electric fencing – A non-electric fence is a barrier. But an electrified fence is a defensive weapon against theft. Not many criminals are willing to endure a painful but medically safe shock to get to your vehicles, no matter how valuable.
- Alarms – Blaring lights and alarms let you, your security team, and the entire neighborhood know if someone tries to breach your fence.
Is your property ready for the summer crime surge?
Our commercial security experts would be happy to conduct a Free Threat Assessment of your property to discover your security weaknesses before thieves do. Click here to get your personalized Threat Assessment today.
The Ultimate Perimeter Solution
AMAROK™ is the ultimate perimeter security solution because it deters thieves, so there is no need to deal with the aftermath of a crime. AMAROK deters criminals in three ways; a shock deterrent, physical deterrent, and alarm deterrent. Installing the Electric Guard Dog system is an effective way to prevent cargo theft at your business.
About AMAROK™
AMAROK™ is a full-perimeter security company based in Columbia, South Carolina, that provides commercial security services throughout the United States and Canada. Specializing in electric fencing and perimeter security systems for commercial properties, AMAROK also provides supplemental surveillance solutions, including cameras, lights, and alarms. Together, these business security services form the ultimate crime prevention solution for any business.
Why FORTIFEYE™?
Even though professional monitoring speeds police response time, criminals may still be able to breach your perimeter and enter your property. That’s why AMAROK developed FORTIFEYE™ – the world‘s first integrated electric security fence, video surveillance, and video monitoring solution to create the ultimate crime prevention solution for your commercial business or industrial site.
For more information, or to get a quote contact us.
