Year: <span>2016</span>

While the number of reported scrap metal thefts in the UK has dropped in recent years thanks to the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act, scrap metal continues to be a valuable source of income for criminals.

The export value of lead, copper and other metals encourages criminals to regularly break into premises such as schools, construction sites, churches, offices, abandoned buildings and other public sites to strip metals and later sell them on to scrap dealers for a significant fee.

At its height, scrap metal thieves were targeting as many as 1,000 commercial properties in the UK every week. So how can businesses and commercial sites protect themselves?

1. Have a risk assessment of your premises to work out which parts of your site hold valuable scrap metal and ensure that they are protected and monitored
2. Make sure that any surplus of metal is hidden from view, or even painted a different colour so that it is camouflaged from thieves
3. Install lighting in areas where criminals could potentially gain access
4. Install CCTV as a deterrent and to aid in conviction after any incident
5. Install heavy duty gates as a minimum. Choose from swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates.
6. Every site is different, but for those with heavy traffic throughout the day you might want to consider a turnstile, or an automatic barrier controlled by push-buttons, tokens, proximity cards or by on site manned guards.
7. Property markers and signage, including invisible marking agents, are helpful in identifying metal that has been stolen and returning it to the owner
8. Apply anti-climb paint to areas that allow thieves to access your roofing, for example drain pipes and guttering
9. Clear away any bins, wheelbarrows, ladders or other moveable items which could be used by an intruder to gain access
10. Encourage neighbouring businesses and nearby residents to report any suspicious activity to the police such as vans or workmen visiting outside of normal hours.

By employing as many of these techniques as possible you should be able to turn your business premises into a fortress which deters criminal activity and reduces the chances of your building being stripped by scrap metal thieves.

Whether your business operates from commercial, industrial or retail premises, Gateway Automation provides a variety of security solutions and can provide you with a free, no obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your security requirements. Alternatively, you can download a brochure here or for more advice on securing your businesses property from crime please contact us here.

Construction sites are often full of high value plant and machinery and as such are seen as an easy target by criminals in the UK.

In fact a report from a leading insurer, Allianz Cornhill, puts the annual cost of the theft of construction plant such as excavators, compressors and cranes at as much as £800 million.

This theft not only occurs from temporary sites but also from static construction sites where plant machinery is stored.

An obvious tactic to cut down on plant theft is to make sure that keys are never left unmanned and nearby to machinery. The machinery itself should be stored away securely when not in use and where it is practical to do so. You should also make sure that lighting is increased during off hours, such as weekends, evenings and school holidays.

Plant machinery that is visible can become a clear target to criminals, however one way to put them off is to ensure that a quick get-away is off the cards.

Using perimeter gates, fences or automatic rising kerbs is a tried and tested method to prevent unauthorised access to vehicles, as are automatic gates.

At permanent or long term sites, it may also be worth investing in turnstiles (full-height) or waist-height) to limit access to permitted persons only.

Whereas many burglaries are unplanned and opportunistic, the size and weight of construction tools often means that related crimes are planned in advance. This means that a site which is well secured is less likely to fall victim to costly theft.

Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provides nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

While petty vandalism like graffiti is sometimes brushed off as teenagers ‘having fun’ and part of growing up, it’s not a laughing matter if it’s your business that has been affected by it.

In fact, fixing the damage that has been caused by vandalism usually doesn’t come cheap and is often not something that has been budgeted for. The best way to protect your business against vandalism is to prepare yourself. Here are a few ways that you can do so.

Anti-graffiti paint
These types of paints are applied to your walls to make the removal of graffiti a simpler task. They work by preventing paints like spray paint from forming a physical bond with your existing paintwork on the exterior of your property and allow graffiti paint to be easily washed off.

Fences and gates
Of course while anti-graffiti paint can make it easier to remove graffiti, it would be better to stop it from happening in the first place. An easy way to do this is to install strong barriers to entry such as fencing and security gates. This means that even if vandals can make their way into your property they may struggle to get out again which will likely put them off ever attempting to do so.

CCTV
Security cameras are dual purpose; not only do they act as a deterrent to would-be graffiti artists but they can also help your business to prosecute an offender should they be caught.

Lighting
Graffiti will often take place at night which means vandals have a better chance of going unnoticed, so invest in some good motion censored lighting to deter them.

Gateway Automation provide a range products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please call us on 01522 682255.

When it comes to our own homes recognising the threat of burglary usually comes naturally. However our places of work sometimes don’t always get the same level of consideration. Criminals know this and will look for the following three tell-tale signs that a property will be easy to break into.

Goods on display
It sounds obvious but you should make sure that anything worth stealing is kept indoors and well protected behind a perimeter gate and fencing system.

By leaving equipment, plant machinery or other valuable goods outside you are tempting opportunistic thieves who may believe they have a chance of making a quick get-away due to the goods being outdoors.

Storing them safely away and using a perimeter gate, fences or automatic rising kerbs to prevent vehicle entry, you can be confident that they will have a hard time both getting in and getting out again.

No physical deterrents
If a criminal thinks they can get away with breaking into your property then they are more likely to try and do so. So you need to look at all the ways that you could possibly put them off.

Swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates are a good place to start and can warn off any would-be intruders.

Unsecured entry points
Windows and doors are some of the most common entry points when it comes to break ins. You should make sure that windows are always shut out-of-hours; the handles are not visible from the outside and if necessary have iron bars on exterior windows.

Not all security breaches happen during out-of-hours and through windows though, and many criminals will have the audacity to walk straight into your building through the front door if they are left unchallenged. You can reduce the chances of this happening by having security turnstiles in place to help you decide who gets access and to stop visitors while you ask to see their credentials.

Gateway Automation provide a range of perimeter security systems to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

We are pleased to announce that after a successful course of training and assessments Gateway Automation has been awarded the ‘Gate Safe Aware’ accreditation by IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) and Gate Safe.

The Gate Safe accreditation is given only to automated gate installers who have undergone specific training and rounds of assessments to show that they fully understand the safety guidelines surrounding responsible gate installation.

Gate Safe is a registered charity, set up in 2010 following the tragic deaths of two young children in separate accidents involving automated gates.

Gate Safe now campaigns for stronger industry regulations and works with manufacturers and installers to ensure that strict guidelines are followed and that safety protocol is adhered to.

As well as making sure that automated gates are safely installed, Gate Safe recommends that gates are regularly maintained and that appropriate safety checks are carried out at least every 6-12 months, and even more frequently at sites where automated gates have more regular usage.

Gateway Automation provide a range of gates to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please contact us on 01522 68255 or take a look at our brochure which can be viewed here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

Today’s utility providers are at risk from a number of different threats, including terrorism, theft, burglary, vandalism and internal crimes.

Utility providers are often isolated in rural communities, and without the right protections in place they can be left vulnerable to crime as it can take much longer for security or emergency services to respond if required. This is why it is important to not only prevent crime from taking place to but to deter it too. So, what are some of the ways that security can be bolstered?

While it is good practice to have a CCTV system in place at a utility site for monitoring purposes, it will not necessarily prevent a crime from taking place and even the best security cameras can be beaten by a well disguised criminal. However, a strong security gate is one method of preventing a criminal from ever gaining access.

Swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates can all help.

It’s also not uncommon for utility providers to be part of a nationwide network and therefore have hundreds if not thousands of staff across the country. Unfortunately, the larger a team is the more chance there is of an unauthorised person gaining access, whether to commit theft, vandalism or even a terrorist attack aimed at damaging UK infrastructure.

Turnstiles, either full-height or waist-height can be an effective way to limit access to permitted persons. Entry can be controlled through use of a keypad, proximity cards, tokens or an intercom access.

Vehicular access also needs to be monitored at these types of facilities as some may experience heavy traffic throughout the day, with a number of vehicles entering and exiting the site. Gateway provide fully automatic barriers which can be controlled with push buttons, tokens, proximity cards, CCTV or operated by on-site security guards.

Equally, Automatic Rising Kerbs can be installed to cut off vehicular access to certain areas and to prevent a fast getaway if a burglary takes place.

Gateway Automation can help utility providers to protect their assets from crime with minimum disruption and while maintaining safe and comfortable working environments for staff. For a free non-obligation quotation and feasibility survey please contact Gateway Automation on 01522 682255. Alternatively, our brochure can be downloaded here: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/brochure/.

Here at Gateway we offer a nationwide reactive callout service to offer quality servicing and repairs for gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To aid us to carry out this work, we are pleased to welcome five brand new vans to our fleet.

These new vans will cover the Midlands area and will help us to further cut our response times and cover more ground, ensuring that owners of premises with faulty access control equipment endure minimum disruption to their businesses.

As well as maintaining and repairing equipment we can also provide spare parts, should something go wrong.

To find out more about our services please visit our servicing and repairs page on our website, or alternatively call us on 01522 682255.

Warehouses and distribution centres are a common target for burglary and theft, both internally and externally. This is in no small part down to the high quantities of valuable goods that are housed inside warehouses, often with original packaging which means that criminals can obtain a profitable sell-on price. Here are five robust ways that security can be improved.

1 – Access control
By using access control equipment you can limit access to items of a particularly high value, securing them with cages and providing keypad entry, card readers or even biometric fingerprint readers. You should also install CCTV and insist on a “two-person” rule, with no worker ever allowed to be left alone inside a cage, reducing the risk of internal theft.

2 – Automatic rising kerbs
A common way for thieves to escape after a burglary is by vehicle. A good plan to stop unauthorised vehicular access is to install an Automatic Rising Kerb. Gateway’s GA8000 utilises high quality hydraulic technology to provide ultimate security against HGV’s. It can also be used to prevent employee’s personal vehicles from being driven into shipping and receiving areas.

3 – Gates
One of the strongest physical deterrents that you can put in place to ward off criminals is a gate. Here at Gateway we provide three key types of gates which include swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates.

4 – Turnstiles
Another good way to monitor who is coming and going from your warehouse or distribution site is to install full-height or waist-height turnstiles. This can eliminate the chances of tailgating – a popular method used to gain access to a restricted site.

5 – Barriers
Warehouses and distribution centres are likely to experience lots of traffic with high numbers of vehicles visiting the site throughout the day. However it is important that access is controlled, so you are able to keep records of who is visiting your site, as well as making sure that entry is permitted, for example by checking the identification of drivers before allowing them to gain entry. Gateway’s fully automatic barriers are a perfect solution for controlling entry and they can be controlled via push-buttons, tokens, proximity cards, CCTV or by on-site security guards. For a more cost effective solution manual barriers are also available.

Gateway Automation can help owners of warehouses and distribution centres to develop a 360 security strategy for their sites. We provide free, no-obligation quotations and feasibility surveys in order to find the best solution to security needs. For more information please visit our website http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/ or call us on 01522 682 255.

When it comes to dealing with emergencies every second counts and the time it takes for an emergency vehicle to enter and exit their site can be either a help or a hindrance to improving response times. This is why it is important for emergency services to make an informed decision when it comes to which type of security gate they have installed on their premises.

When choosing a gate for a police station, hospital or fire station it’s vital to consider not only how fast your gate will open but also how quickly it will close, ensuring that access is protected.

Here at Gateway, our purpose built GA9500 bi-folding trackless speed gates are the perfect solution for sites that require rapid access.

The GA9500 bi-folding trackless speed gate can open and close at more than twice the speed of a traditional swinging gate, cutting down response times and maintaining safety.

These gates are manufactured from sturdy RHS steel frames and have CHS tubular steel infills (which can be swapped for timber or louvre) and they can also be fitted with spiked tops, warning lights, sirens and razor wire, depending on the requirements of the site.

For a full run down of specifications please visit our product page: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/gates/bi-folding-speed-gates/ga9500-bi-folding-trackless-speed-gate/. We also provide a range of other gates including automatic swing gates, cantilever sliding gates and manual swing gates which can be viewed on our website.

Gateway Automation is a nationwide manufacturer and installer of perimeter security systems and devices. We undertake civil and electrical site preparation and automate existing perimeter security devices and equipment throughout the UK. For a free, non-obligation quotation please contact us on 01522 682 255 or visit our website for further information: http://www.gatewayautomation.co.uk/.