How to Increase Security As Crime and Unemployment Rise
The best defense is a good offense and that is deterrence.
What is deterrence? That is having more security protecting your property than those around you. Burglars usually follow the path of least resistance making your property less vulnerable. I will give you an easy example if your car has the Club and an alarm on it and 9 other cars on the block like yours do not, it would be highly unlikely a burglar would choose that car to tamper with. Increased security would cost the burglar time to circumvent and this is the deterrence as increased time during the crime increases the chances of apprehension and prosecution. Where do I start? I have regular locks on my home & business and that is it! Restrict your keyway We can help you prioritize but really it is very simple. Lets protect the things that are most valuable first. You are the most valuable asset. Lets make sure you are safe at home and work with the proper physical security. It is highly recommended that you take control of your keys first. The recommended method to do that is you must get off a public keyway simply stamping DO NOT DUPLICATE on a keyway millions of people are using and that you have NO administrative privileges to will not increase your security. Schlage Primus is the recommended restricted keyway and requires commercial grade Schlage hardware. Using a restricted keyway will enable you to take control of your keys knowing who has access by not allowing unauthorized duplication Add time control and audit trails The second step in physical security also increases accountability. Restricting access to certain times and having an audit trail can increase security and productivity! There are cost effective solutions such as stand alone keypads, card access, and Cyberlock that allow for time control and audit trails previously unavailable. Video surveillance The third step is add video surveillance to your arsenal of protection. Video surveillance is an excellent deterrent. No criminal wants to be recorded committing a crime. Video surveillance can definitely add accountability and increase productivity. Like most security in video surveillance you get what you pay for. In the low end systems you will still add deterrence. As you move up the video recorded will enable prosecution by the video quality and recording methods being permissible in court. There is an added benefit of reducing liability by possibly eliminating false claims. At any level video surveillance is a great deterrent and should be present at any business. After creating many estimates on video surveillance systems I can say that 9 out of 10 basic commercial systems with a standard installation come in at $1000 per camera installed including DVR and all needed equipment on a minimum 4 to 16 camera system. Safes If all else fails have your valuables protected in at least a UL listed residential burglary container (this recommendation is good for business's with minimal valuables also) with at least a UL listed 30 minute fire protection rating. There are many listings out there in fact you could start one today! I trust UL listings as they are USA labs listings products at American standards. Expect to spend over a $1000 on a basic safe that provides minimum protection and is built in a quality manner that will withstand a brief attack. |