Construction site crimes such as theft and vandalism are so common that it has become an expected part of the process. The National Equipment Register (NER) and National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimate losses from construction and farm equipment theft to be between $300 million and $1 billion annually, with most estimates in the range of $400 million. While no comprehensive database provides statistics exclusively for construction theft, projects that have experienced it firsthand know the problems involve far more than the initial losses.
Whether the crime is large-scale and organized or perpetrated by opportunistic thieves, squatters, or vandals, the outcome is likely the same: extended downtime, significant financial loss, and increased work hazards.
To minimize your risks, we recommend taking these critical steps.
Assess Before You Begin
Begin every project with a pre-construction security assessment. This assessment should include area theft statistics, issues other projects experienced, location-specific exposures, project type, amount of materials, and level of public support.
Maintain a Low Level of Accessibility
All construction sites need some level of accessibility to accommodate machinery and material delivery, yet this accessibility needs to be balanced with perimeter security. The best way to lower your risks is by having robust and proactive protection.
Consider implementing:
- Perimeter fencing—Use fencing to create controlled entry and exit points.
- Lighting—a highly illuminated worksite makes criminal activity unattractive.
- Eyeforce Remote Guarding —Implement an advanced video surveillance system that includes night vision, sophisticated analytics, monitoring, and live audio intervention provided by crime intervention specialists.
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Deter Equipment and Material Theft
Minimizing entry points is not enough to protect expensive machinery, tools, and materials from being stolen.
- Use secure storage for materials.
- Disable and remove batteries from equipment. Consider hidden ignition switches.
- Equip vehicles with hidden GPS tracking devices and geofencing alerts
- Limit the amount of time high-value materials are located at the worksite.
- Have a visible and active security presence.
Increase Post-Breach Protection
The fact is a determined criminal can and will get past security fencing. When a breach occurs, response times are crucial. Eyeforce Remote Guarding combines video surveillance and advanced analytics combined with human intervention. A trained crime intervention specialist follows your customized escalating response protocols to handle the event when the system detects activity. The specialist uses two-way audio to provide an immediate warning to the trespasser and notifies the authorities.
About Eyeforce
Eyeforce is a leading provider of remote guarding services. We offer customized solutions that include networked cameras, analytics, 24/7 monitoring, and professional crime intervention specialists that provide real-time audio intervention. Eyeforce remote monitoring exponentially increases security while decreasing security costs. Eyeforce can help you gain total control and situational awareness through proactive, not reactive, security solutions backed by video analytics. Our remote video monitoring services excel where traditional alarm monitoring companies fail.
