Cardiff Security Archives - AR Security Services

Warehouses in today’s world are not just a storage facility, they are an effective distribution system that is fundamental to the success of a business. However, if you want to have a successful business is with a productive supply chain, you will need to have proper warehouse security in place.

Within Cardiff, there are many warehouses that hold goods that are worth millions and due to this, they can become easy targets for criminals looking to make quick money. Some warehouses in Cardiff are located in industrial estates where others are located in more remote locations due to their size and complex layouts. These factors can create the risk of external theft or theft from employees – which is difficult to detect.

Large companies such as Amazon (with warehouses located in Swansea and Bristol) often report theft from their own employees with one employee suspected of stealing $250,000 worth of goods from their warehouse.

So, to prevent your warehouse being stolen from, we have listed some ways that can improve the security of your warehouse – ensuring that valuable inventory and assets are protected from theft or vandalism.

Employee check/screening

You want to minimise the risks of inventory being stolen from within your warehouse, so conducting check or screenings prior to hiring will help you identify any prior criminal offences.

Controlled access

If your warehouse is large and has areas that shouldn’t be accessed by all within the building, then having a proper access control system can minimise unauthorised personnel from accessing your warehouse. If you need to monitor who is coming to your warehouse, then hiring security guards will help protect your business from losses and maintain your reputation.

Another way of controlling access is through the use of ID Cards or electronic passes that enable access to the building.

A&R Security Services can provide fully trained SIA licensed security guards to monitor access to your warehouse and ensure that your premises don’t fall victim to vandals or anyone posing a threat to your business.

CCTV

CCTV is a highly effective visual deterrent for criminals. When installing CCTV it is best to install them in high places around your building and have multiple video screens to show that employees are watched at any given time.

Mobile Patrols

With warehouses becoming larger and larger to accommodate more inventory, it is important to ensure that every inch of your warehouse is protected. Having full protected within your warehouse and outside will allow your distribution operations to run smoothly.

Mobile patrols have the ability to effectively monitor every inch of your warehouse and maintain total security throughout the warehouse. Many opportunists often take advantage of larger areas and therefore visibility is important. Mobile patrols are fully uniformed and in a marked vehicle and will act as a highly effective security measure.

Random checks

With employee theft on the rise, it’s been reported that thefts have cost UK businesses £40m. Most employees are honest and will not steal from their employer, however, there are a small few who will take advantage of their position.

Carrying out random checks of your workforce will deter employees from taking the opportunity to steal your goods. If you cannot conduct the searches yourself – trained security guards can conduct regular random check and stock takes to ensure that nothing has been stolen or gone missing.

A&R Security Services can provide tailored professional security solutions to warehouses and industrial units in Cardiff and South Wales. To find out more about our security services visit our website or get in touch with us on 01656 713950

Poorly protected Construction sites in areas in and around Cardiff can be rich pickings for criminals looking to steal valuable equipment and materials to make ‘easy money’

Many construction and building sites in and around Cardiff don’t properly protect themselves from criminal activity such as theft and can result in thousands of pounds worth of loss. A recent survey that was conducted revealed that 92% of sites claim to be affected by crime with a further 21% of sites saying that they are stolen from on a regular basis.

However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel and there are some easy cost-effective strategies that can help protect your construction site from further criminal activity.

So, what is construction security?

Construction Security is an umbrella term that refers to a range of security services and measures that can be used to protect a construction site.

These services and measures may include:

Physical guards
Alarm installation and monitoring
CCTV Surveillance
Access control
Staff training
Guard Dogs.

However, securing a construction site would require different security measures compared to retail or corporate environment. So, when construction site owners are looking to create or have effective security measures, they will need to know what security measures will be appropriate for them.

Also, security measures that should be prioritised should be determined by your sites specific requirements such as location, local crime rate and values of onsite materials/equipment and emergency response times.

In order to figure out the security measures which will be most effective at your site and where you should put them, you will first need to conduct a thorough security assessment.

To ensure your construction site remains protected from criminal activity – it’s important to know some essential techniques (with many not costing anything). However, by ensuring you implement these techniques will go a long way in protecting your site.

Create and maintain an up-to-date inventory

With so much equipment and material on-site, it’s possible for criminals to take advantage of you with you even noticing it is happening. To ensure you know what is exactly on or off your site, you should maintain an up-to-date inventory log of all tools, equipment, machinery and materials you have.

You should fill in our inventory log at least weekly to give you the best chance of spotting and quickly responding to theft. After all emergency services such as the police have a better chance at returning stolen good when they are reported missing quickly.

Maintain a clear zone around your perimeter fence.

Thieves will always look at ways to minimise the risk of them being caught and as a result, will target site which they believe will offer larger and easier pickings. For a thief, the less time they spend actively involved in a crime the better.

If you have a perimeter fence already installed on your site it can make it more difficult for criminals to steal from your site as this makes it difficult for them to see what is actually on your site – meaning they will have to cross the site itself in order to reach your belongings and making the chances of them being spotted greater. It is suggested that you should have a clear zone of between 5 to 10 meters. However smaller sites may not have the ability to do this – in which case it would be best to make as large of clear space as possible.

Mark equipment

For criminals, equipment such as mini diggers, generators, heavy drills and other tools can be very easy targets and are often stolen. Marking equipment can make it much harder for thieves to sell on anything they’re able to take.

Most tools that are used on construction sites are comprised of metal so engraving sections of metal with your company logo or a small symbol can easily deter criminals. Engraving machines are cheap and are easy to use, but the amount of money they will save you, in the long run, could be substantial. To ensure that your tools are effectively marked, engrave them in multiple places especially on places that can be removed such as tool bits like drills and chisels.

Reduce access points

Construction sites such as yours should be surrounded by a secure perimeter fence to prevent intruders accessing your site. So, it should be robust and impenetrable but of course, workers and any other people who are required on-site will need to be able to enter.

Although it may be tempting to create multiple points of entry with a large site to allow workers and vehicles to flow out of your site, it is essential that you keep access points to a minimum.

Any access point you create is a potential vulnerability and this is especially true when you have a second access point where security may be lacking. To reduce the potential for illegal entry, reduce your access points and position manned guards, CCTV cameras and security lighting at these access points.

Train your staff

Maintaining an effective security team is an effort. It only takes one person to lose focus for your site to become vulnerable to criminal activity. So, to prevent your staff from losing focus it is important that they understand how important security is and what their role requires them to maintain proper protection. Particular duties may include signing in and out of your site, locking up tools and vehicles, maintain the clear zone and reporting suspicious activity.

But no matter how comprehensive your plan is if your team fails to follow it, it is pretty much useless.

A&R Security Services provides comprehensive security solutions to construction sites in Cardiff and South Wales. To request a free quote call us on 01656 713950 or visit our website for further details.

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