There’s loitering and then there’s drunk loitering.
No matter what type of property you own or manage, loitering can be a big problem. Whether under the influence or not, loiterers can cause damage, leave a mess in their wake and send the wrong message to visitors, tenants and customers. Some loitering can fall under the category of, public intoxication or disorderly conduct, an offense that allows police to arrest those whose behavior is disruptive to other people’s enjoyment.
So, what can you do to help keep unwanted visitors from hanging out at your property? Read on.
Steps to Deter Loitering
Keep Your Property and the Surrounding Areas Clean
If you have trash and graffiti at your property, it can send a message that you don’t care about your building and could lead to other criminal activity. A clean area can help deter vandalism, loitering and theft without having to spend a lot of extra money.
Remove Graffiti as Soon as Possible
If your property does get hit, it is important to remove any tagging within the first 24 to 48 hours. Again, the presence of graffiti will tend to draw more loiterers to your property. By removing it, it shows you are monitoring your building and won’t tolerate criminal activity.
Enhance Lighting and Eliminate Sleeping Spots
Often loiterers camp out on a commercial property after hours to sleep. By enhancing the lighting, you make it more difficult for them to do that. In addition, remove benches, covered areas and any other flat surface to eliminate potential sleeping spots.
Add Live Video Monitoring
A proactive security solution like live video monitoring can help prevent unwanted visitors from hanging out at your property. The system uses a combination of video analytics and human intelligence to make sure your property has eyes on it when you’re not there. As seen in the video above, trained security operators watch for activity in real time and can act to help safely remove loiterers and other criminal activity.
Loitering may seem like a harmless crime, but it can negatively impact your property and lead to other activity like vandalism and theft. If you would like more information about our proactive live video monitoring solutions, contact us.
