Security challenges exist year-round, but colder months can present particular difficulties. Darkness has always been a thief’s best friend. Longer nights can tempt criminals into being more active and give them heightened confidence. If you want to keep your security up to the task, you may want to consider making changes or upgrading your existing system.
Why Winter Matters
The darkness isn’t the only issue. Although earlier and longer lasting nights are certainly part of the problem, there’s the cold to consider as well. With gloves, coats, and hats, people may fumble for keys, take longer to open doors, and give would-be criminals openings and advantages that wouldn’t be as common or as expected in warmer weather. Additionally, bulky clothing makes shoplifting less noticeable. During the summer, bigger clothes are an obvious sign that someone may be up to no good, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary during the winter.
Reviewing protocols and employee training, and having extra foot patrols or people on the floor, are viable options for improving your security. Unfortunately, you won’t always have the personnel available or the time for training. In those cases, you may be better served by considering other options.
How to Adapt
Locks are important, but fumbling for keys is never fun or recommended. You might look into card access or key pads. One excellent benefit of these systems is that you can log who accesses what and when. This can be hugely valuable information, and it helps to ensure that unauthorized personnel aren’t gaining entry. While professional thieves can pick common key-accessed locks with ease, it’s much more difficult to guess the combination for a keypad or card access security systems.
Cameras are often your first line of defense, so it’s essential that you get the most out of your surveillance. Infrared cameras are excellent for lowlight. They’re able to provide exceptionally crisp black-and-white images at night, and during the day they’re still able to give you full-color video. For your CCTV, you should review any unmonitored areas and look for shadowy or shaded spots. The easier it is to hide and avoid security, the more attractive that location will be for trespassers and burglars. When it comes to commercial security systems in Wilmington, DE, you really can’t be too careful or too secure.