18 Feb Additional electronics to improve the security of your commercial property

One of the most important considerations when running a commercial property is how to keep it secure? The sad reality is you can’t have anything these days without someone willing to take it from you. The best we can do as business owners is make our property as secure as possible, and thankfully there are electronics we can use to assist with that. They don’t guarantee physical security, but they certainly help.

CCTV

CCTV is a deterrent and especially when it covers more than 90% of your property. By covering ALL access and exit points with a camera, you deny criminals the ability to break in without being seen and recorded.

There is nothing stopping criminals from covering their faces, but CCTV footage will still capture the clothes they are wearing and possibly the vehicle they use. This can assist any relevant authorities in their enquiries. The footage will also assist your insurance company in validating your claim if applicable.

We recommend the use of CCTV outside and inside if this is possible. This will ensure any and all illegal activity is recorded. It’s important to make sure the CCTV covers the whole of your property, so it is as useful as possible.

Electronic bollards

If you have a commercial property with a car park, or a commercial property that allows vehicles to get close, you can restrict access out of hours with electronic bollards. These can be raised and lowered on a timer, by switch or remote.

By restricting vehicle access to your premises out of hours, you deny criminals the ability to get close with a vehicle. If your property holds any stock at all, this can be enough to prevent so-called ‘smash and grabs’ because criminals are unable to quickly throw whatever they steal into their getaway vehicle.

We recommend you use electronic bollards to restrict access to vehicles. They effectively prevent cars, vans and trucks from reaching your property. However, they do not stop bikes since these can ride between the bollards.

Electric shutters

If you have windows, these can be a target for criminals. Vandals might smash them or graffiti them, and thieves might smash them to get at your stock. Electronic shutters are one of the best ways to protect your commercial property.

By covering your glazing with a protective metal cover, you deny criminals the ability to smash the glazing – at least not without getting past the shutters first. The shutters lock into place so criminals would have to destroy the locking mechanism or cut through the metal sheet itself to get at your windows.

We recommend shutters for shop fronts and commercial properties in high risk areas. They provide a protective cover out of hours. You can also have electric shutters on your external doors and on the inside of your property.

Electronic door locks

Ordinary locks can be picked or jammed out with force. Electronic door locks can only be accessed illegally if the key is cloned or the code is leaked. Electronic locks can be installed on external and internal doors.

By replacing manual locks with electronic ones, you take away the ability for criminals to illegally have your key cut. You also take away the ability for the lock to be picked since there is no pickable element. Introduce electronic locks to internal doors to restrict access to authorised personnel only.

We recommend two types of electronic lock – a code lock or a keycard lock. Code locks are generally more secure because the unique pin cannot be stolen like a keycard. However, the keycard lock is certainly ‘cooler’ and easier to use.

Solenoid bolts

Solenoid bolts are the most powerful way to secure your external doors. A solenoid bolt is an electronic-mechanical locking mechanism which ‘throws’ the bolt into place with it then secured by a very thick, robust metal holder.

By introducing solenoid bolts to doors, you strengthen the door at the frame and make ‘kicking’ in the door impossible. However, to be effective, solenoid bolts must provide even force. Therefore, bolts should be installed at three points (upper, middle, lower) to provide a solid, robust security solution.

We recommend solenoid bolts for UPVC, timber and metal doors. Some solenoid bolts are superior to others so please contact us for recommended products. These bolts are usually combined with an electronic access system, like a keycard system.