COVID-19 – Is Construction Theft rising?

For a long time, the construction industry has come under attack from thieves and vandals looking to steal plant tools and equipment and make quick money. Overall, the estimated losses from construction sites very from £400m to well over £1bn every year with an additional £770m per year lost to metal thefts.

Earlier in April 2020, The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) found that in the first two weeks of lockdown plant and tool thefts sharply rose compared to pre-lockdown levels due to personnel including on-site security leaving as a result of coronavirus social distancing measures – resulting in criminal gangs exploiting the situation. And although some construction sites have returned to normal operations they are still being targeted.

In December 2020, four men and a woman were arrested in connection to a number of thefts in the South Yorkshire area. Between March and November 2020, around 40 new housing developments were burgled with thieves stealing newly installed boilers as well as machinery and tools.

For larger construction sites the bigger they are the bigger the potential problems. This means that larger construction sites need to boost their security profile, investing in GPS trackers for their vehicles alongside current security measures such as CCTV and manned guard points.

Whilst new developments are still being built, many councils and local authorities look to regeneration projects, leading to re-furbishing and regenerating buildings and site which pose their own unique set of problems. Arron Mills, director of Archon Services – a firm specialising on construction and property security said “The rise of large-scale regeneration sites that cover dozens, if not hundreds of acres of land create a new challenge for security” “these sites are often very open because its not possible to encircle the entire area with fencing or boarding’s due to the presence of public spaces and community facilities.

For most security risks, the first line of defence against physical threats is to have plenty of deterrents in place to make thieves think twice about attempting to target your site. Signage, mobile or roaming patrols and visible CCTV can all play a part at deterring trespassers. With advancements in technology, many CCTV cameras give you the ability to remotely monitor your site and are alerted to any unauthorised access to your site – letting you or your security teams to quickly respond.

The other line of defence is investing in GPS tracking technology. This allows you to monitor your vehicles if they are located at different locations – letting you undertake fewer onsite visits to check they are still there.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can protect your construction site take a look at our blog here. Or if you would like more information about our construction security services, visit our website or give us a call on 01656 713950