Colder weather and darker nights bring challenges for businesses all around the UK. Are you prepared for the arrival of winter? Here are some security-related tips and advice to help you on your way.
Prepare for adverse weather
Here in the United Kingdom, the winter months bring vast changes to the climate. On average temperatures during these months range between 0 to 7°C and although sunny days are possible they will still feel cold.
If you are a properly prepared business, then you will likely have some key perimeter security measures in place already such as gates, fencing, and barriers. However, like any piece of equipment, they all require a degree of upkeep and cold weather such as rain, wind, sleet and snow can speed up degredation. To prevent this, you should maintain a simple programme of upkeep to protect against the elements. This may mean regular programmes of cleaning up leaves and other debris and washing or scrubbing down your tools.
Equally, you need to be wise enough to know when to call in the experts. A sudden onslaught of high-speed winds or other disruptive weather could cause damage and if you can’t get an engineer out in time then this could cause real disruption to your business, or your holiday plans.
Always maintain your equipment, have regular performance checks, and opt for a supplier that is able to provide reactive callout services to deal with any damage.
Prepare for darker nights
Criminals are opportunistic by nature and many crimes are carried out in the depths of the night when lighting is less abundant. This lowers their chances of detection and increases the liklihood of a getaway.
To weigh the odds back in your favour, your first port of call should be to develop strong perimeter security that both reduces the chances of an intrustion, and also sends out a strong message to criminals that your permises is not an easy target.
You should also ensure that any security lighting is in good working order, placed effectively to target particular zones or areas, and that any dark areas are free of any dangers. For instance, a bin that could be used as a climbing tool to scale a fence, any loose pannels that could be broken to gain entry.
Consider storage
While it is not always avoidable, you should try and ensure that high-value goods or machinery are either carefully locked down, or taken indoors during any periods of closure. Criminal gangs are known to target plant and machinery and leaving them out in the open, and in the darkness can lead to you becoming a target for theft.
Equally, any tools that could be used as weapons to damage facilities or gain entry should be secured or placed indoors out-of-hours.
Risk assessments
Your number one defence against crime, not just in the winter, but all year long is to have strong perimeter security tools in place. However, it can be difficult to know exactly where to focus your attentions. With a risk assessment from an experienced provider, you can pinpoint any weaknesses and begin to address them in a way that suits your operational needs.
Whether your business runs from small retail premises or a large industrial site, Gateway Automation can help. We provide you with a free, no-obligation quotation and feasibility survey to assess your perimeter security equipment. We also offer a nationwide reactive call-out service
to deal with any equipment issues and are proud to be Gate Safe accredited. Please contact us on 01522 682255 for more information.
Write a Comment