Factory security horror stories

A fastener manufacturer in Sheffield recently began expanding their premises by purchasing another building next door. This needed a lot of work.

Because they were doing demolition work, the company decided that they did not need any security on the place. They could add these systems when the construction work was completed.

That’s when DISASTER struck!

Thieves broke in over the weekend. They removed all of the cables and copper piping. Of course, the wiring was due to be replaced anyway so it was not really a problem…

The pesky burglars forgot to turn the water off when they legged it with the pipes. As a result, on Monday morning, when the company returned to work, they found a large part of the building was FLOODED!

No one expected that! But with the right security in place, it would never have happened! And that’s when the knock-on costs of that poor business decision started to kick in.

Cause and effect… of trying to save money on security
The flooding meant that works had to be put on hold for a full week.

How much did a week’s delay cost the company?

Around £100,000!

And this was for a security breach in an unfinished section. If this had happened in the main production area, the cost would have been even higher.

So this was just water. Fire damage might be even worse. Especially if there is a lot of tooling, transformers and customers’ stock.

Having a good Fire and Security system will also make dealing with the insurances a lot easier.

The advantages of a well maintained, efficient Fire & Security system begin to make sense. Because avoiding disasters and downtime is critically important to all manufacturers.

#firesecurity

Who’s monitoring your home alarm system?

As lockdown comes to an end, we’re all starting to think about a time when we can leave our homes for more than just a quick walk.
But what happens when your home alarm goes off whilst you’re not there?

Alarm scenario 1
The loud noise of an alarm should scare them off if they do attempt entry. However, some bold offenders might persist despite the noise. And, if your neighbours ignore the loud siren, the burglars get away with their crime.

Alarm scenario 2
Your mobile app sends you a text to alert you that one of your PIRs has been activated. But if you’re on holiday, you’ve got to:
hear your phone; and
call your neighbours or a family member at three in the morning to check your home
This is often followed by the embarrassment of having dragged them out of bed for a false alarm. Having neighbours monitoring your home security can put a lot of pressure on even the strongest of friendships.
AND RELAX!!

Alarm scenario 3
Your alarm sends a signal to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre).
Within seconds the ARC verifies the signal.
The Police respond to a confirmed alarm activation at your property.

Which one of those scenarios would you prefer?

#firesecurity

Who’s monitoring your home alarm system?

As lockdown comes to an end, we’re all starting to think about a time when we can leave our homes for more than just a quick walk.
But what happens when your home alarm goes off whilst you’re not there?

Alarm scenario 1
The loud noise of an alarm should scare them off if they do attempt entry. However, some bold offenders might persist despite the noise. And, if your neighbours ignore the loud siren, the burglars get away with their crime.

Alarm scenario 2
Your mobile app sends you a text to alert you that one of your PIRs has been activated. But if you’re on holiday, you’ve got to:
hear your phone; and
call your neighbours or a family member at three in the morning to check your home
This is often followed by the embarrassment of having dragged them out of bed for a false alarm. Having neighbours monitoring your home security can put a lot of pressure on even the strongest of friendships.
AND RELAX!!

Alarm scenario 3
Your alarm sends a signal to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre).
Within seconds the ARC verifies the signal.
The Police respond to a confirmed alarm activation at your property.

Which one of those scenarios would you prefer?

#firesecurity

6 crucial things you need to burglar-proof your business

A friend proudly took me round his new business premises. He had pictures from the last 4 months of work getting the office shipshape. It was all ready for his staff to move in on the Monday. But his happy face turned into a frown when I asked about his business security arrangements.

After all that effort and expense, he had forgotten that there are people out there who want to spoil it all.

I took him through a few things that can make a real difference to keeping your business safe from burglary.

#firesecurity
https://property-safety.com/keep-your-business-safe-from-burglary

Who’s monitoring your home alarm system?
As lockdown comes to an end, we’re all starting to think about a time when we can leave our homes for more than just a quick walk.
But what happens when your home alarm goes off whilst you’re not there?
Alarm scenario 1
The loud noise of an alarm should scare them off if they do attempt entry. However, some bold offenders might persist despite the noise. And, if your neighbours ignore the loud siren, the burglars get away with their crime.
Alarm scenario 2
Your mobile app sends you a text to alert you that one of your PIRs has been activated. But if you’re on holiday, you’ve got to:
hear your phone; and
call your neighbours or a family member at three in the morning to check your home
This is often followed by the embarrassment of having dragged them out of bed for a false alarm. Having neighbours monitoring your home security can put a lot of pressure on even the strongest of friendships.
AND RELAX!!
Alarm scenario 3
Your alarm sends a signal to an ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre).
Within seconds the ARC verifies the signal.
The Police respond to a confirmed alarm activation at your property.
Which one of those scenarios would you prefer?
#firesecurity
https://property-safety.com/alarm-monitoring-companies…

As the UK returns to work, there’s far more important things to trouble yourself with than keyholding. But… it’s an item on your to-do list.

Make the wrongkeyholding choice and you will put more than a member of staff at risk…

Neglecting your duty of care may leave you open to liability claims… And that’s never welcome especially during these chaotic times.

Here are five things to consider while you mull over your keyholding decision.

https://property-safety.com/keyholders-catastrophe

One of our keyholding companies shared this cautionary tale:
The director of a company had spent the evening at home celebrating his birthday. He and his wife had consumed a couple of bottles of wine as they engaged in a Zoom party with assorted family and friends.

They got into bed at around midnight laughing about the fact that they hadn’t had to fork out for a taxi home.

Our hero dozed off into a fitful sleep wishing that red wine didn’t make him feel so grim. He was in the middle of a particularly gruesome nightmare when the phone rang.

It was his Alarm Monitoring Centre telling him that his alarm system was going off and he was the named keyholder.

Without a second thought, he leapt out of bed and threw on a hoodie and some trackies. Pausing only to grab the office keys and his car keys from the shelf beside the front door, he left the house and got into his car.

After a swift dash across town, he arrived at the office ready to confront any burglars.

Fortunately, the ARC had also called the Police who had got there before him. It was a false alarm.

Phew!

But, as he turned to get back into his car, he found that he was a little off balance. The Police officer looked at him closely and suddenly said: “I think we may need to get you to blow into this bag…”

A nightmare had just become a catastrophe.

In his mind, he could see the Police interview, the judge and his name all over social media.

He’d always thought he could manage his own Key Holding and that it was an unnecessary expense as he was always available.

IF ONLY… he had invested the £1 a day it costs to get his key holding handled by professionals.

https://property-safety.com/commercial-security/keyholding-alarm-response-quotes-lp

How your business can reduce the risk of ram-raiding
https://www.ifsecglobal.com/physical-security/how-your-business-can-reduce-the-risk-of-ram-raiding/

What’s the best way to stop a burglar? 12 former thieves voted for CCTV…
What have you put in place to ensure you’re not next?