Whether your property is a commercial building or a residential home, every property, home and office has its vulnerabilities, all of which are important to acknowledge, to help identify buildings’ weaknesses, to enable property owners to strengthen them to reduce the risk of security breaches. When securing your property, it is important to tailor your plan to the most common threats it could face. Ensuring your property is adequately secured from these threats can help to reduce the risk of a security breach, and the damages that can arise from this.
Common Security Vulnerabilities
Whilst every property is different and will come with different security risks, there are a fair few universal vulnerabilities that almost all buildings will be at risk of. Identifying these for your own property can go a long way in ensuring the safety of both the physical structure and those within it. Vulnerabilities faced by most buildings and properties include:
Openly Exposed Areas – This includes windows, doors and other clearly exposed areas of the building which can leave it vulnerable to both thieves and extreme weather conditions. Whether your property is in the process of being built or you simply have fragile and thin windows and doors, having such exposed, vulnerable points not only advertises easy access points for burglars, but also reduces the security of the property’s interior in the event of extreme weather conditions. The air tightness of the building is also likely to be affected (source: RJ Acoustics)
Hidden Properties – If your property is well hidden from the public eye this can attract burglars and vandals, as there is less chance that they will be caught in a more concealed area when undertaking a burglary.
Property Location – Aside from being in a well concealed location, if your property is in an area with high crime rates this can increase its risk of such threats as intruders, thieves and vandals from breaking in. Buildings in areas that commonly suffer from extreme weather conditions are also at risk of further potential damage.
Vacant and Empty Properties – If a property is either vacant or empty for prolonged periods of time, this can significantly increase its vulnerability by increasing its risk of intrusion and extensive damage from poor weather conditions, as damages can go unnoticed for prolonged periods of time, exacerbating existing damages.
How Can I Protect My Property from Security Threats?
You can protect your property from these common threats in a variety of different ways. There are numerous different security measures for these threats that will suit some types of buildings better than others and it is best to take into consideration the type of building you want to secure to ensure the very best security tactic is used.
Physical Security Measures
If your property is under development or undergoing any renovations, installing physical security measures such as steel security windows and doors or concrete barriers can help to minimise the risk of adverse weather conditions damaging the building. Physical security barriers can also help to reduce the risk of theft or vandalism, by reducing accessibility into the building, thereby reducing the extent of damage that can be done by intruders.
Installing CCTV Cameras
Installing CCTV is another great way to protect your property from common security threats, especially for those vacant and empty properties who do not have anyone there to personally monitor the building’s security.
Installing visibly present CCTV cameras will act as a deterrent for thieves and vandals. CCTV in general can increase chances of catching intruders in the first place. Wireless CCTV is a great tool for vacant properties running 24/7. These systems have motion detectors which detect movement from within a vacant property and send an alert to a security team who then assess the situation.
Vacant Property Inspections
Having a vacant property inspection at regular intervals can also help to protect buildings that are vacant or empty. Ensuring someone is regularly checking-up on the property ensures any damages are reported promptly and taken care of before they become too severe. This is ideal for properties under threat to flooding or other extreme conditions, minimising the extent of the damage done by recognising it as early as possible.
