Every year, thieves steal or damage over $1 billion worth of goods from construction sites across the United States. Tools, materials, machinery, vehicles, and all types of equipment can command big profits on the black market. Though high value items are a primary motivator for thieves, they are especially attracted to construction sites because of the ease of entry. After all, these are sprawling, complex sites that are not easily guarded… at least by traditional means.
At night, many construction sites are minimally protected by fencing, which even the laziest of burglars can defeat in a few minutes. If there is no construction site security surveillance, once inside the fence, thieves are home free. They can pillage throughout the night, taking whatever they have means to haul away. The site managers don’t find out until morning, when work grinds to halt while an inventory of missing items is taken. When there is no construction site security, there is little for the police to build an investigation on, meaning that the security breach will ultimately end up as a loss that is never recovered.
Whether the fence line is breached in the middle of the night, or a shady subcontractor or employee tries to skim off some of the site’s valuable materials or equipment, Galaxy Protection will catch them in the act. We use two way communications to intervene and prevent theft, while gaining evidence of the crime. We also employ facial recognition software and license plate identification technology to identify thieves and ensure they never get near your property again. It’s a real-time, proactive approach to construction site security that deters crime in progress while also collection invaluable, high-resolution recordings of the entire event.
In addition to remote monitoring, many site managers wonder what other construction site security they need. The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, in conjunction with their police department, actually released a public safety advisory for construction sites. With the tremendous boom in building within San Francisco, the city has seen an increase in criminal activity around construction sites. Management that employs remote monitoring for construction sites and follows these tips given by the San Francisco Building Department have been able to secure their property and avoid becoming victims.
Site managers should create a comprehensive security plan ahead of time. This allows time to obtain important security materials, such as fencing, gates, and locks. It also provides the opportunity to assess the weak points in the site, as well as evaluate the level of danger presented by the neighborhood environment. Before the site opens, have a security company that specializes in construction site burglary and theft prevention audit the site. Your security company can then install your security system with remote monitoring. The security representative can also recommend strategic lighting. This places lighting in the areas that make it impossible for thieves to operate under the cover of darkness. Following these steps ensures the security of your site right from the start.
As your security company can tell you, it’s also important to network with law enforcement. Inform the local police district of the date your site opens and its operating hours. It also helps to give neighbors a courtesy notice. In addition, ask them to call police if they notice any suspicious activity around the site. Galaxy Protection can help design and implement such a plan.
Tools are expensive, and they are also needed to get the job done. Without them, money is lost because work must be delayed. Sometimes, the cost of replacing them can destroy the profitability of a job. To protect your tools, keep them in a secured cargo area with high-resolution CCTV monitoring.
Also, authorities recommend that all tools be inventoried and marked or engraved. This makes it easy to identify what has been taken after a robbery and marks the tools for return if recovered by law enforcement. The site supervisor should take responsibility for securing the site at closing time. He or she must ensure that all windows, doors, and gates are secure, as well as the proper installation of any temporary fencing and lighting. Other important security considerations include the following:
Signs should do more than warn against trespassing. They should also convey the most serious consequences thieves or intruders face should they try to access the property. Though determined criminals can ignore the signs, many will think twice… especially when they realize that the notice says “24/7 surveillance,” letting them know that nighttime is no protection. They will know that your site is prepared for them. Most likely, they will look for an easier target.
Alarms that make noise and flash lights get thieves running in an instant. No criminal remains on the scene when they know they’ve been detected. In their minds, the police, and a long stretch in jail, are moments away. Signage on the premises indicating the presence of an alarm often prevents the thieves from even trying to access the site.
In today’s competitive marketplace, construction site operators must fight for every penny of profit. Securing your site against thieves is an important part of that, but remote monitoring can also provide the business intelligence and analytics that boost your job’s ROI. Galaxy Protection produces detailed reports based on a variety of metrics. For example, the reports provide information on heat mapping or crowd counts. If you have remote monitoring for security, it only makes sense to also use it to enhance your profit.
Thieves target everything on a jobsite, right down to the copper wiring. In today’s day and age, there are many criminals searching high and low for the easiest score. When you protect your jobsite with construction site security surveillance, you not only make your jobsite a hard target, you make breaking into your site an express ticket to jail for any burglar. With security professionals always watching, no thief can access your jobsite undetected. With two-way communications, they can be ordered off the property, and they know the police and jail time are only moments away.