Protecting Commercial Properties During the Summer Holidays

Most of us feel more relaxed over the summer months. The days are long, there’s plenty of sunshine and the temperatures are high. Sadly, so are the crime rates.

According to crime data analysts Forcemetrics, property crimes such as burglary and theft rise by 11% between June and August. Along with ice cream and trips to the beach, the spike in crime during hot weather is a predictable summer tradition.

Every summer, commercial properties become a popular hotspot for teenagers with time on their hands. How do you safeguard your commercial property during the summer? In this article, we reveal the answers.

Secure obvious entry points

When the weather is hot, it’s understandable to leave the doors and windows open for ventilation. The problem is, they’re an obvious access point for intruders. It only takes one forgotten window for someone to gain entry.

The building’s occupants may be popping out for only a few minutes, but is it worth the risk? Remember, windows and doors should be securely locked every time your property is unoccupied, even if it’s for a short time.

It’s worth considering window restrictors and door alarms which alert you when they’re left open for too long, or accessed unexpectedly.

Check the locks

Summer is a good time to check your locks—all of them. From window and door locks to fire exits and delivery areas, they should all be up to standard.

Often, insurance companies specify the type of lock you should be using for commercial premises, so it’s worth checking with your own insurance provider. Common policy clauses include:

• Doors that are part of the building you occupy will need to have specific standards of locks
• Any doors that have access to your area of a building from someone else’s will need the same level of security as your external doors
• Any accessible opening—windows, fanlights, skylights, fire escapes, decks or roof access areas—must be locked securely

The `specific standard’ referred to in the first example is generally BS3621—a `thief resistant lock assembly’ more commonly known as a 5-lever mortice deadlock.

Check your lock-up procedure

When the evenings are light, it’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and become lax about lock-up procedures.

Remember to remind your staff about making sure all doors, windows and other access points are securely locked at the end of each day. For teenagers looking for something to do over the long summer evenings, one unsecured door or window is all they need.

Strengthen access control

During the summer, some of your workforce will be away on holiday, with temporary staff taking their place. In addition, deliveries are often impacted by the holidays, with different drivers as well as changes to the usual delivery schedule.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to have robust access control measures in place. This could be a keypad with a password or PIN, access fobs and cards, or biometric devices which scan someone’s face or fingerprint.

As for deliveries, if they’re being made at atypical times and left unattended, make sure they are stored securely and can’t be seen from any external vantage point.

Increase patrols

With longer daylight hours, commercial properties are at particular risk once staff have left for the evening, or if they’re left vacant for any period.

Increasing the frequency of patrols is a proactive measure to deter criminal activity. Faced with a visible security presence, opportunistic criminals are unlikely to risk even attempting entry. If they try to gain access, trained SIA-accredited security officers can immediately deal with the incident before it escalates.

Other manned guarding options include mobile patrols. They inspect the property out-of-hours, at unpredictable intervals so that intruders can’t detect a pattern.

One of the benefits of mobile patrols is their flexibility. The frequency of patrols can easily be adjusted to cover times of peak activity, such as the summer holidays.

Test CCTV and alarms

CCTV and alarms are a must-have at any time, not just during the summer season. It’s worth carrying out a comprehensive system check to make sure they’re in good working order.

If in doubt, bring in a qualified engineer to carry out maintenance. You don’t want to risk these crucial security systems failing just when you need them the most.

At the same time, make sure you have prominent signage to let people know that CCTV is in operation. Those visible signs are not only a legal requirement, they’re also a highly effective deterrent.

Prevent pest infestation and maintenance issues

Insects, rodents and a variety of other pests love warm weather. If your building is left unattended for too long over the summer, they’re likely to take up residence and cause damage.

Consider booking in regular inspections. Trained professionals can keep an eye out for pest infestation and deal with the problem immediately.

Not only that, they’ll also identify and address maintenance concerns—water leaks, mould growth, electrical problems, roof damage and other issues which, if left undetected, can lead to eye-wateringly expensive repairs further down the line.

For more information about this, and all the other security measures mentioned in our article, get in touch with the CSG team. We’d be happy to hear from you.