Out-of-hours construction sites can become a particularly favourable target for potential criminals. Due to the lack of activity and presence on-site, this often becomes the case. For this reason, it is crucial that there are appropriate construction site security measures in place.

With the correct security measures in place, you can ward off criminals who are targeting your site with the intent to steal or vandalise the site. This helps to improve general, on-site safety by safeguarding both workers and assets on site.

With a construction site theft surge in mid-2023, around 89% of UK tradespeople became victims of theft. On top of this, it is estimated that the construction industry in the UK suffers £800 million losses each year due to crime.

Fortunately, in this article, we will cover some of the best tips to help protect against theft from construction sites.

Catalogue Equipment

The first thing you should do for construction site theft prevention is ensure that your equipment is catalogued properly. A terrifying amount (43%) of industry employees admitted to not keeping full lists of their inventory. This can make it incredibly difficult to report crimes to the police or recognise the full extent of what has been stolen. Additionally, it can make it difficult to return recovered items to their owners.

By taking steps to ensure that your equipment is thoroughly listed somewhere, you can keep track of inventory and will know straight away if something is not right. This allows you to report the theft to the appropriate authorities immediately.

So, when storing equipment, make sure that you have a written list with the values of items. Alternatively, backing this list up with photographic or video evidence can help to make the reporting process even easier. It also increases the chances of your equipment being returned to the correct owner if it is recovered.

Put Up Fencing

With inventory accounted for, the next thing to do is begin securing your site. One of your first steps should be to install fencing around the perimeter. Tall fences act as a deterrent to criminals, as it makes it significantly harder to get into the construction site. Depending on the type of fencing you install, it can also make it difficult to see into the site. If criminals cannot see what equipment is on-site, they may feel less inclined to attempt theft from construction sites.

Fencing also makes for a fantastic place to put up warning signage. Here, you can place signs that will act as additional deterrents. The signs can include ‘CCTV in use’, ‘no trespassing’ or act as a warning that a security company protects the site. These signs will help to discourage potential construction site theft even further because they emphasise that the site is secured.

Install A Surveillance System

Fencing alone might not be enough to act as construction site theft prevention. Having the ability to survey your site with ease is crucial and can significantly reduce the chances of being affected by security threats. Using an alarm system alongside the surveillance system can protect the entire site.

Surveillance systems provide visual evidence if criminal activity does take place. Additionally, it acts as another visual deterrent, adding another layer of security to scare off thieves and vandals.

Consider outsourcing a CCTV monitoring service to set up surveillance towers across your site. This provides an easy method of CCTV supervision across the site without needing to install anything permanent.

Hire Security Guards

Another method for construction site theft prevention is hiring security guards. With security personnel on-site, you significantly reduce your chances of being affected by criminal activity. The presence of a security officer is often enough to scare away most criminals. However, even if an incident does happen, the guard will be there to put an immediate stop to it.

It is also among a construction security guard’s duties to perform regular patrols. During their patrols, they can perform inventory checks and secure the perimeter. On top of that, they can also be stationed at access points to ensure there is no trespassing.

If that isn’t enough, there is always the option of mobile patrol security as well. Security companies will often have their own marked security vehicles. These vehicles not only act as another visual deterrent, but allow the guards to perform irregular patrols. They can turn up in the vehicle at random points throughout the day, which prevents criminals from learning their schedule.

Alternatively, you could also invest in security dog handlers for adding extra protection to your construction site. Take a look at our security dog handling page for more information on those services.

Access Control

Controlling who enters and exits your construction site can play a big part in keeping it safe. With gated access, or door supervision, you can keep track of who enters and leaves your site. These security measures also ensure that only authorised visitors can get into your site easily.

In addition to the door security, it is also a good idea to have a logbook system to keep track of who exactly entered and exited, and at what time. This makes it much easier to keep a consistent overview of the traffic to and from your site. It also helps to identify potential suspects if an incident does occur.

Keep Your Site Well Lit

One of the construction site theft prevention tips is to keep your site well-lit. The majority of criminal activity will take place during the night, since it becomes significantly harder to see when it’s dark.

However, by installing motion-activated lights around the perimeter of – or even throughout the site – it becomes significantly harder. The lights flickering to life as soon as motion is detected will make it near impossible for criminals to approach the site. They won’t be able to act under the cover of darkness and are more likely to draw attention. This will discourage them from targeting your site, as thieves and vandals prefer to stay out of sight.

So, What Are The Top 6 Construction Site Theft Prevention Tips?

In this article, we have discussed 6 crucial construction site theft prevention tips. These tips will help to ensure you have the correct safety measures in place for your site. Taking the time to invest in quality services can ultimately help you to save money, as you will no longer need to repeatedly pay for stolen equipment.

If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest construction news, then why not check out our blog? There, you’ll find all the latest security news, including How To Write A Construction Risk Assessment.

Alternatively, if you want more than just news, take a look at our Region Security YouTube channel. There, we cover the latest in security tips and tricks.

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