Parking Lot Security
Between collisions and crimes, parking presents more threats than you can imagine. According to statistics, one in every ten crimes occurs in the garage or parking lot. Besides violence, the parking area remains a hotspot for several other risks such as car theft, property theft from vehicles, and other accidents. This is a good reason why individuals and businesses invest in security guards to patrol their facilities to forestall any threats. Here are some ideas for maintaining safer parking lots to keep your customers and staff happy.
Provide enough parking lot lighting
Your parking lot should have sufficient lighting for driving and pedestrian areas while reducing shadow locations that offer hideouts for attackers. It’s essential to focus on high-risk areas like elevators, staircases, and areas outside your parking garages. You may likewise leverage lighting for driver safety during the daytime. The variation between the bright daylight and a shadowed garage may cause temporary blindness for entering drivers. You can, however, reduce this momentary risk by lighting entrances to the parking lot.
Engage guard patrols
Having patrol security personnel in your parking lot is a standard technique to enhance everyone’s safety when using your facility. The presence of a security guard can be a huge deterrent for any crime. Including mobile security or on-site patrol in your parking space can significantly improve your facility security. However, ensure the guards are well trained and equipped with the right tools to make them more effective at the post.
Install an access control
Controlling access to parking lot areas creates a more secured facility. You can manage vehicle and pedestrian entry using gates, security booths, and raising or lowering arms. Additionally, it’s best to block access to private zones and areas that offer concealing spots for assailants, such as cut-away locations underneath staircases, with structural components like fencing, concrete blocks, or other blockades.
Use clear, visible signage
Like every business or life activity, communication is essential for maintaining a highly efficient security framework, as it makes security more manageable. Having signage in various places to communicate with drivers, pedestrians, and even unsuspecting criminals is vital for enhancing your security. Clear signage is an indication of present systems to halt and prosecute criminals. Use the medium to notify customers of accessible security tools such as panic buttons, VASS, and emergency phones and use them effectively. Installed signage should also include dos and don’ts in the parking lot.
Install a surveillance system
Increased visibility means less crime. Providing access controls, proper lighting, landscaping, and installing video surveillance such as CCTV makes it simpler to monitor every activity inside your parking areas. A surveillance system is an excellent tool for making your security guards more effective. Yet, installing them isn’t enough without proper monitoring. While the presence of security cameras may deter some crimes, it’s not sufficient on its own to get the job done. Questionable behaviors like peeping through car windows or closely monitoring a customer should trigger a security response. Anything less means a green light for a crime.
Main Security and Investigations can help enhance your parking security and make it safer for everybody. MSI offers professional integrated complete security services, from traditional armed and unarmed security guards to patrol services and video surveillance for adequate asset protection and traffic control monitoring services.