Seven Easy Steps to Make Your Facility Less Inviting to Would-Be Criminals
Having a security system is critical to warding off criminals. But don’t forget it is equally important to make your facility environmentally unwelcoming to would-be intruders. Put another way, make it clear to the criminals that your facility is not an easy target, and that their time would be better spent somewhere else. Here is a list of things you can do to make your facility less attractive to criminals.
Determine where your telephone lines enter your building. If you have any exposed telephone lines, take steps to secure them. Remember, 10% of the time forced entry is made into a facility, telephone lies are cut prior to entry.
Make sure your address can easily be seen from the street, and can be seen after daylight hours. If you have a large facility and entry can be gained from the rear of your building, be sure your address is visible on the rear of your building. Remember, police and fire agencies are dispatched to your address and not to the name of your company. Make it easy for responding authorities to find your building in case of an emergency.
We encourage you to place No Trespassing or No Loitering signs around your building. These signs give the police probable cause to question individuals that are on the grounds of your facility.
Check your landscaping. Shrubs in front of any window should not be higher than 42 inches. All trees next to your building should be trimmed to 7 feet. Make any entry to your roof difficult. 25% of all forced entry is NOT through a door or window.
Good outside lighting helps reduce crime. Make it difficult for the burglar to find places to hide as they make entry into your building.
Place all dumpsters away from doors. This will help reduce internal losses during the daytime hours.
Eliminate keys and replace them with an electronic door locking system that can be programmed to allow authorized individuals entry to specific doors, during specified hours. Also, consider adding an electronic access system to your server room.