It’s the most wonderful time of year….. but for building owners, agents and property & facility managers, the long, dark nights can be worrisome. Commercial properties are often a popular target for burglars and regardless of their use, their contents are generally worth more than what you’d find in any residential property – making commercial properties a big target, especially over the festive season.
Despite break-ins decreasing by 44% throughout October 2020 – March 2021 due to lockdown restrictions, authorities urge commercial (and residential) owners not to become complacent with their security and to take extra precautions as the nights drawn in.
With the extra stresses that come with managing a property, especially over Christmas, you might feel worried about leaving your property unattended overnight, feel the stress of being responsible for the effectiveness of your current security measures or may just feel like you just don’t have the time to manage your security optimally. If you’re experiencing some of these pain points, BASSE Solutions is able to alleviate you and your organisation of these worries and support your commercial property’s security strategy from start to finish.
Take a look at our detailed checklist on how to increase commercial property security and keep your buildings safe and secure this season.
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Inspect your property
Whilst regular inspections and risk assessments should be part of your on-going general property maintenance anyway, we’d advise scheduling in an inspection prior to the winter months.
Important for the safety of all employees, inspecting sidewalks, handrails, car parks, garages and driveways is a solid way to address any issues that may arise should ice and snow make an appearance – especially important if you’re patrolling your perimeter at the end of the day to double check that your property is all clear before you leave site.
Ensure landscaping is free of all unaccounted-for debris that could present itself as a hazard or create blind spots/hiding spots for unwelcome visitors is also equally important. Undertaking regularly planned maintenance checks will ensure that you stay on top of your site’s security hazards, allowing you to rectify issues as and when they present themselves and minimise the risk of any sudden complications that could be costly.
However, you can’t always predict the future, so if you’re faced with an unexpected situation, please remember that it’s never too late to call in help.
Here at BASSE Solutions we’re not only able to help with any last-minute maintenance or repairs you may have, but our experienced team is able to help check your property and estate regularly by carrying out in-depth site surveys that ensure all aspects of your sites security have been checked.
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Increase lighting
As a recent case study of ours demonstrates, lighting can make or break the safety of your commercial property.
Not only does increased, quality exterior lighting lower the risk of accidents occurring for employees, but a well-lit property will deter and scare off trespassers.
The lighting of your commercial property can also impact the effectiveness of any CCTV you may have installed. With the low light conditions that winter brings, trespassers may still be able to conceal themselves if your exterior lighting isn’t up to scratch. BASSE Solutions’ extensive experience allows us to install or repair a variety of supreme quality lighting systems, including emergency lights, controlled systems and LED upgrades.
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Enhance perimeter security
Does your commercial property have impermeable perimeter security? With a variety of sophisticated CCTV systems available to you, there’s no reason why your perimeter security should be lacking.
CCTV should be checked to make sure it’s durable for winter as the colder weather could affect the quality of your CCTV feed. Make sure to check for any blind spots as well!
The help of a security expert may be required here as they can assess your property and its risk levels, advising of the best security solutions or upgrades for your commercial property whether this is through installing CCTV or putting a patrol team in place for added perimeter security.
If you know your perimeter security isn’t sufficient enough to wholly protect your commercial property, BASSE Solutions can consult on, supply, install and maintain advanced CCTV systems, including wired, wireless and even dummy cameras (as sometimes this can be enough to scare off unwelcome guests!)
And, although we don’t actively offer physical security operatives, we do have relationships with security providers that can help take your commercial property’s security to the next level. So, if you’re wanting to engage with a patrol team to check on your property throughout the night or are looking for keyholding and alarm response services to give you peace of mind while you sleep, please contact our team so we can make an introduction.
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Secure your surroundings
As an added layer of security to your commercial property, it’s always worth investing in a reliable physical barrier to protect your building as a whole, your employees and of course, your grounds.
Protective barriers come in many forms, and are great for keeping the outside, out. So, while you may think a door entry system or CCTV is enough to protect your site, it’s always worth looking at gates, fencing and shutters as an added security measure.
Here at BASSE Solutions, we have extensive experience when it comes to installing Palisade security fencing and often recommend this type of barrier due to its longevity and easy installation.
If you’d like to discuss an effective (and appropriate) barrier for your property, please speak to a member of our team.
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Invest in access control
Should thieves not be scared off by lighting, fencing or the presence of CCTV (dummy or not), you want to make sure they can’t just stroll in through the front door or any other un-secure access point.
By installing and maintaining an advanced door/access control and alarm system, you have complete control over who has access to your building and when.
This is, of course, obsolete if all other potential access points haven’t been checked and secured. Check all windows, doors and locks to ensure they’re working and are suitable for the cold weather.
“Despite last winter’s decrease in break-ins due to COVID-19, in the 70 years’ experience across the BASSE team, we’re aware the festive season sees an increase of break-ins and crime of this nature. Want to help you make sure that the anxiety and stress of anticipated a break in, or the result of one, is something you don’t have to deal with.”
– Management team, BASSE Solutions Limited
Remember, a break-in will always end up costing you money, even if the intruders don’t manage to take anything. The damage they cause to doors, locks, windows and the disruption to business can be costly.
Follow our checklist to prevent the risk of your commercial property security being comprised. As an experienced total facilities maintenance team, BASSE Solutions can consult and assist with everything you’ve read about in this blog, so please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding any queries you may have.
