Choosing Physical Security for your Property
Physical security is important. While surveillance cameras may help catch criminals in the act and alarm systems can alert you to a crime when it happens, only physical security puts a barrier between criminals and your property.
There are a number of different types of physical security. Two of the most common are folding or rolling security gates and fixed security bars. If you’re not too familiar with these tools, you may not even recognize the differences between the two. However, there are several differences and these differences are very important.
Preventing Crime with Physical Security
A common type of crime, especially at retail stores but also at offices, schools and many other businesses, is the “smash and grab” robbery. In these crimes, criminals break through doors or windows in order to get inside a location. They then quickly steal the valuables that they are after and leave the scene before police or security guards can arrive.
Criminals know that, even if police are called automatically as soon as a crime is detected by an alarm system, it will take them time to arrive. For this reason, most smash and grab robberies last only a few minutes. Some are over in just seconds. The criminals are long gone before anyone arrives.
Having physical security installed greatly reduces the risk of a smash and grab robbery for many reasons, including:
- Physical security makes it much more difficult to break into a property
- Many criminals use rocks, bricks, baseball bats or crowbars to break through unprotected windows and doors. With security gates, these crude tools don’t help.
- Physical security greatly increases the time it takes to break in
- As mentioned, criminals don’t want to spend a lot of time at a property. If you have physical security installed, would-be robbers will need to come up with other, more difficult and time-consuming ways to break in, increasing their chances of being caught.
- Physical barriers deter criminals
- Criminals know how effective security gates are. That’s why, in many cases, they simply avoid properties that have them installed.
Security Gates vs Fixed security Bars
Both security gates and fixed bars operate on basically the same principle. They make it significantly more difficult to gain access to a property. However, fixed security bars are exactly that: fixed. Once installed, it’s not easy to remove them from your doors and windows. While this provides protection, it also seriously detracts the look of your property. Appearances are important and many locations, such as retail stores, want to make their businesses look inviting and welcoming. Fixed bars can make a property appear “jail-like” or insinuate to those passing by that the area isn’t safe, which could prevent them from stopping in.
Rolling or folding security gates, on the other hand, make it very easy for you to unlock and roll or fold them out of view when they’re not needed. This allows you to maintain a welcoming appearance at your property while still receiving all of the benefits of physical security when the gates are locked shut.
A Word About Window Film
Window film is sometimes chosen by businesses that are concerned about appearances. While window film isn’t visible to passersby and while it does make it more difficult to break through a window, it doesn’t act as a deterrent. This is because criminals don’t know it’s there. Since the film isn’t easy to detect, a criminal could be motivated to make several attempts to break through the glass, thinking it’s unprotected. While he or she may not be able to access your business, the break-in attempts will very likely cause damage to your property that will be costly and time-consuming to repair.
Rolling or folding security gates deter criminals when your business is closed while still allowing you to open them up and create a welcoming appearance during business hours.
Want some more helpful tips to improving the security of your business? Download our helpful guide to Improving Your Security Mindset.
