As a business owner or facility manager, experiencing a break-in at your commercial property can be a jarring and distressing event. In addition to the loss of property and potential disruption to operations, it can leave you feeling vulnerable and uncertain about the safety of your personnel and property. It’s essential to take swift and decisive action to secure your premises and prevent future incidents. In this guide, we’ll briefly outline eight crucial steps to help you fortify your building’s security after a break-in.
1. Assess the Damage
The first step is to assess the extent of the damage caused by the break-in. Document and photograph any damaged or stolen items, as well as any points of forced entry. This information will not only help with insurance claims but also provide valuable insights into vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. If you feel the break-in site is still vulnerable after repairs are complete, you should consider installing security cameras. Video surveillance is an effective deterrent, and will help you collect evidence from any future incidents.
2. Notify Authorities
Contact the police immediately to report the break-in and provide them with any relevant information or evidence, such as surveillance footage or witness accounts. Law enforcement can conduct an investigation and potentially apprehend the perpetrators, increasing the likelihood of recovering stolen property and preventing future incidents.
3. Secure Entry Points
Repair any damaged doors, windows, or locks to prevent unauthorized access to your building. Consider upgrading to more robust security measures, such as reinforced doors, shatterproof glass, or electronic access control systems. These investments can significantly enhance your building’s resilience against break-ins.
Depending on your property, and the nature of the break-in, it could be days or weeks before repairs are completed. You’ll want your business to be operational during this time, and should consider short-term security guard deployments to patrol at-risk areas on your property. Security guards can provide 24/7 coverage on relatively short notice, providing oversight and peace of mind while you repair damages and upgrade built-in security systems.
4. Implement Surveillance Systems
Install or upgrade surveillance cameras both inside and outside your building to monitor activity and deter potential intruders. Ensure that the cameras cover key areas such as entry points, parking lots, and high-value assets. Additionally, consider investing in motion sensors and alarm systems to alert you to any suspicious activity in real-time.
It’s important to be as thorough as possible. Your building may have blind spots that cameras and sensors cannot cover. If key assets are vulnerable due to gaps in your built-in security systems, you should consider deploying security guards on-site. Armed and unarmed guards are effective deterrents, and can help ensure a human presence on-site 24/7.
5. Partner With a Security Guard Service
Engaging a professional security guard service can provide an additional layer of protection for your building. Security guards are trained to patrol premises, monitor surveillance feeds, and respond promptly to security breaches. By partnering with a reputable security guard company, you can benefit from experienced personnel who can help safeguard your property and personnel.
Experienced security personnel can also advise on ongoing risks such as vulnerable access points, camera blind spots, and faulty security systems. The best security companies will do more than simply deploy guards at an hourly rate – they’ll partner with you to ensure the longterm safety of your team members and critical assets.
6. Implement Fire Watch Services
In addition to physical security, it’s crucial to address fire safety concerns, especially if the break-in resulted in damage to fire suppression systems or alarms. Hiring a fire watch service can ensure that trained personnel are on-site to monitor for fire hazards, conduct regular inspections, and respond swiftly to any signs of smoke or fire. This proactive approach can help prevent catastrophic losses and ensure compliance with fire safety regulations.
It’s important to note that any break-in or disruption that results in a fire safety system outage (inoperative smoke alarms, for example) will require fire watch guards on-site. If your building’s fire safety systems are down for four hours or more, fire code requires you to have fire watch guards on-site. Failure to deploy fire watch guards could result in the fire marshal ordering a shutdown or evacuation. Your best bet is to source a reliable fire watch partner before break-ins or outages occur. That way, you can have fire watch guards on-site quickly to ensure smooth operations.
7. Review and Update Security Protocols
Take this opportunity to review your building’s security protocols and identify areas for improvement. Train your staff on emergency procedures, such as how to respond to alarms or suspicious activity, and establish clear communication channels for reporting security concerns. If you have security guards on-site, make sure you’ve established clear protocols for reporting incidents to management. Regularly review and update these protocols to adapt to evolving threats and maintain a vigilant security posture.
8. Engage with the Community
Building strong relationships with your neighbors and the local community can be a valuable asset in enhancing security. Collaborate with other businesses or property owners to share information about security risks and coordinate efforts to deter criminal activity. Additionally, consider hosting community events or outreach programs to foster a sense of ownership and vigilance among residents and stakeholders. If your commercial property is part of a larger complex, you and your fellow tenants could save money by collectively deploying security guard patrols to oversee the entire complex.
Contact The Guard Alliance Inc.
Experiencing a break-in can be a wake-up call to reassess and bolster your building’s security measures. By following these eight steps, including securing entry points, implementing surveillance systems, hiring a security guard service, and engaging with the community, you can enhance the safety and resilience of your premises. Remember, investing in security is not just about protecting your assets—it’s about safeguarding your peace of mind and the well-being of everyone who relies on your building.
The Guard Alliance Inc. is America’s fastest-growing and most reliable provider of armed, unarmed, vehicle patrol, and fire watch security guard services. If you require additional security personnel for your construction site, retail store, warehouse, office park, or residential complex, our guards have the training and experience needed to ensure peace of mind for everyone on site. Contact our dispatch office today – we can typically deploy guards within hours to our clients’ job sites.
