For many commercial properties, vandalism is an unfortunate part of doing business. Warehouses, construction sites, and other properties in industrial or urban areas are especially prone to being targeted by vandals. Whether your business has dealt with graffiti, broken equipment, or a surplus of litter, you must take action to prevent further damage to your physical assets and to your business’s reputation. Follow these four facility protection tips and start combating your property’s vandalism problem today.
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Secure Landscaping
Using your property’s landscape to your advantage is a key part of facility protection. Consider using chain link or anti-climb fencing with high visibility to keep out potential vandals without providing cover for trespassers. Plants can also be used as an anti-vandalism measure. Planting thick shrubs or thorny bushes in front of walls or other targets for graffiti can keep vandals from leaving their mark on your buildings. Bright lights on your property eliminate the dark and shadowy areas that can serve as cover for vandals and trespassers, discouraging their presence.
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Plan of Action
It is crucial to have a plan if vandals strike. Graffiti artists vandalize so that their work will be seen. Because of this, it is vital that your staff act swiftly to cover up the graffiti, report graffiti to the authorities, and remove it from the building. When vandals see that their graffiti will not stay on your property, they may realize that targeting your building is not worth the effort or risk. Any amount of graffiti or damage, no matter how small, should be reported to the authorities so that adequate records can be made if the perpetrators are caught or if things escalate.
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Security Guards
Uniformed security guards can play a crucial part in deterring vandalism. Having a highly visible security presence sends the message to potential trespassers that your business does not take crime or vandalism lightly. Security guards are facility protection professionals who are trained to observe the properties they patrol for signs of suspicious activity. Guards can be instrumental to your business’s plan of action for vandalism because they are trained to report crime to the authorities quickly, accurately, and effectively.
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Security Cameras
Security cameras are another deterrent that can be particularly useful for large industrial properties. Cameras act as a visual deterrent for criminals, and they can provide useful video evidence if a crime does occur. Planning security patrols in conjunction with security cameras can help ensure that all parts of your business are being watched for suspicious activity.
CES is Dedicated to Serving Our Community
Since opening in 1975, we have been committed to serving businesses in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Our values include proactive communication, honesty, reliability, and quality. We also believe in paying unparalleled attention to detail, no matter which service you require us to provide.
Our services include the following: Professional security teams for permanent, temporary, emergency and rapid-response support; around-the-clock patrols and management attention; concierge and hospitality staffing; and a dedicated mobile patrol service with associated staffing. Contact us for a free, professional consultation today! Call 443-471-7000. Don’t forget to follow us on social media through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn!