Organized retail crime (ORC) and theft are on the rise. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, over 50 percent of small business owners experienced more incidents of shoplifting in 2021. To help bear the brunt of the loss, many of these businesses have raised prices. Still, several others have been forced to close.
The Need to Protect Outdoor Assets
Crimes typically take place because of opportunity. If the nature of the business requires inventory and other assets to be stored outside, they could be a target for vandalism, trespassing, damage and theft. Such businesses include, lumber yards, equipment rental businesses, landscaping businesses, automotive dealerships, scrap and recycling facilities, boat dealers, warehouses, as well as many others.
With so many valuable assets being stored outside, commercial properties need robust security to help guard against crime. Thieves and vandals can be persistent. You want a security solution that can stay one step ahead of them.
Proactive Security Can Better Safeguard Outdoor Assets
Many businesses hire security guards or courtesy patrols to help bolster their security for outdoor assts. There is something to be said for human presence on the property. Criminals tend to be less likely to strike if they think there’s a chance they will be identified and caught.
This solution, however, has its limitations. Guards and courtesy patrols can only be in one place at a time. Savvy criminals will wait to strike when the guard/patrol isn’t present.
A more effective and often more affordable security option is live video monitoring. Trained security operators monitor analytics-based cameras to watch over multiple areas of a property simultaneously. The technology in the cameras can help detect suspicious behavior such as someone trespassing on the property. This will send an alert to the monitoring professional who can evaluate the situation and then activate an on-site speaker warning, contact a guard on duty, or call to dispatch police. The ability to act quickly can facilitate arrests while helping to mitigate loss and damage.
Here are a few examples of how live video monitoring helped deter theft of outdoor assets:
- Trespasser Caught at Wholesale Boat Distributor
- Arrest of Trespassers at Scrap Facility
- Intruder Arrested Inside Vehicle at Automotive Dealership
- Attempted Theft as Manufacturing Facility
Thermal Imaging Cameras for Advanced Outdoor Asset Protection
Traditional security cameras can catch a lot of things on the property. However, like humans, they can struggle to see at night without proper lighting or when it’s cloudy or foggy during the day.
Thermal imaging cameras can help spot the hard to see, even with zero lighting. This comes in very handy when securing large outdoor environments or businesses trying to protect outdoor assets.
Where most cameras and human eyes see nothing, these see by translating thermal energy (heat) into visible light to peruse a scene. In doing so, the system creates a thermogram image that it analyzes using thermography. Criminals won’t know that you have the ability to observe them in the darkness or while hiding. Thus, thermal imaging gives you the advantage to spot and track them without their knowing.
No business wants their outdoor merchandise stolen or damaged. By adding security cameras with real-time monitoring, you can help protect valuable assets for up to 60 percent less than the cost of traditional security systems. This proactive solution can help prevent damage and loss before it happens.
If you would like more information about live video monitoring for your business, contact us.
