Scrap facilities exist to funnel different types of waste materials, such as metals, vehicles, vehicle parts, appliances, etc., to the correct refiners. While materials are stored at the facility; however, thieves who know the value of these materials could trespass and steal materials before they’ve had a chance to be shipped to the refiners.
This results in monetary loss and potential liabilities for the facility. It can also hit the economy hard if certain materials are difficult and expensive to obtain.
In this month’s Commercial Arrest of the Month Video, Stealth’s proactive remote security solution helped to deter scrap facility trespassing utilizing two of our most effective methods: on-site speaker warnings and dispatching police to the facility.
A Stealth security operator saw two intruders within the gates of a scrap facility after hours. Highly trained in such a situation, our operator sounded the on-site audio warning and contacted police dispatch.
While officers were in route to the facility, one trespasser rummaged through items along the fence line and beside the gate. The individual took a ladder from the property and leaned it against the fence. It appeared he was using the ladder to leave the facility.
As the trespasser stepped onto the top rung of the ladder, police officers were on the other side … waiting. The trespasser jumped off the ladder and ran toward the opposite end of the facility.
Two officers were already there. The suspect emerged with hands lifted into the air as officer approached with flashlight glaring. The suspect dropped to his knees and officers placed handcuffs on the individual.
One of the officers assisted the handcuffed suspect into a standing position and patted down the suspect. The other officer observed. The other trespasser was not seen again. Police escorted the suspect from the property.
Scrap Metal to Become a Billion Dollar Market Calls for Robust Facility Security
MarketsandMarkets, a B2B researcher, projects scrap metal to grow to 890.7 million tons by 2025. In terms of U.S. dollars, by 2025, this will be a $76.1 billion market. This means billions of dollars of valuable scrap materials will be idly sitting at scrap facilities. Most of these are expansive, open-air sites that are protected by nothing more than a perimeter fence and possibly a single night guard.
Common security measures at scrap facilities can be helpful but are mostly ineffective at deterring unwanted events and crime. Scrap facility fencing tends to be chain-link which can be manipulated and tampering with until unauthorized access is gained. Trespassers could cut the fence, climb over it or even squeeze under. On-site guards are costly and limited in their ability to be at all areas of the yard at one time.
Stealth’s live video monitoring security solution provides the most effective security available on the market. Our approach is simple: we are proactive. This means in most cases, we prevent crime before it happens and, in some instances, deter crimes in progress. We help to reduce theft by monitoring, acting and recording site activities in real time.
Our scrap metal and recycling security specialists understand the importance of exact placement of our surveillance cameras, pre-programmed with advanced video analytics, throughout your unique facility. Our cameras monitor and record access points, assets and other vulnerable spots on your property in real time. Our analytics enable the technology to filter through all cameras’ live video streams and alert a security operator when human intelligence is needed to act and deter suspicious activity.
In this video, our operator triggered on-site speaker warnings and called police dispatch to report in-progress trespassing and potential theft. Our operators are highly trained and know the value of working “behind the scenes” when officers are in route. During this event, our operator kept an eye on the suspects while a police officer called to request a facility keyholder to respond to the property. Our operator gathered the keyholder’s information – name and make, model and color of the vehicle – and communicated it to police dispatch so that officers would know who the keyholder was when they arrived on scene to expedite deterring the event.
Stealth’s proactive security solution for scrap metal and recycling facilities is typically 25-60% more cost effective than traditional security solutions. Our solutions can be further customized with video review, gate control, system health check and more. Contact us to learn more.
