Securing your commercial property

Carry out a detailed review of your security measures of your occupied and unoccupied property and any land that you are responsible for.

Make sure to:

• review your premises security area by area, such as your warehouse, your office or retail space, making sure you are thorough and note down where their weaknesses and how you could improve on them
• look at how secure the boundaries around premises such as walls or fences and then work your way in
• look for vulnerabilities in the space between the perimeter, any outbuildings and the main building
• lock away any items that could be stolen, used as a climbing aide or targeted for arson
• take a look at the SecuredByDesign website. SecuredByDesign is a police initiative which aims to improve the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings.

• Invest in a recognised security standard gate and locking mechanism, which is securely fixed to the ground and aligned with the boundary fence/wall.
• Make sure any fences or walls around the boundary of your premises are security rated and high enough to stop someone from climbing over them. We recommend a minimum height of 2.1 metres. Contact your local planning office for details of what height of boundary they will allow.

If the site is closed, you can prevent vehicle access to your properties entrance/boundary by:

• securing entrances with heavy-duty concrete blocks or security rated bollards
• installing a strong vehicle height restrictor at the entrance to restrict large vehicles entering your site
• ensuring heavy-duty vehicles, such as lorries, are parked securely in an outdoor area
• parking vehicles close to or in front of the entrances to buildings can reduce vulnerability by making them harder to access (make sure it is safe to do this whilst maintaining compliance with fire regulations)

Protect your property by:

• Hiring a Security Industry Authority (SIA) licensed security guard to provide a permanent presence and quickly alert us to any attempt to illegally enter the property.
• Hiring a security company with a monitoring station who have remote access to the site. Monitoring stations ensure the police and, if applicable your local authority, will be instantly notified when someone illegally enters your property, with or without a security presence on the site.
• Installing an accredited CCTV system which is positioned in a way that covers the whole of your property especially any particularly vulnerable areas and is not positioned where it can be easily attacked or removed.
• Training your staff on how to use your CCTV system properly.
• Considering installing ‘smart CCTV systems’ which link to an app on your phone allowing you to monitor your properties remotely. Some Smart CCTV systems have the ability to let you ‘communicate’ with an intruder via a speaker on the camera.

Make sure your property has good lighting levels.

• Consider constant low level dusk-till-dawn lighting which comes on when sunset is detected then continues to remain on until sunrise.
• Bollard mounted lights are not recommended as they can be vandalised and do not light up the face of any potential intruder enough.

Marking your property using property marking products or visible signs can enhance your security and makes it easier to trace back to you if it is stolen.

• There are several products you can use to mark your property which contain a unique traceable liquid/DNA code that can provide evidence of a vehicle or individual’s presence at your property. There are also DNA spray type devices available that can be connected to your alarm system.
• Install highly visible warning signs will show your property is protected and warn of the dangers or consequences of entering.

A property with a electricity and water supply can make it more attractive to any would-be occupiers (squatters). If electric or water supplies are not needed, consider turning them off if safe to do so.

Be aware that turning them off will have an impact on any security measures you have in place such as an intruder alarm, fire alarm or CCTV.