When a crime is reported in the car park of a shopping centre, there is an immediate drop in the number of customers frequenting it.
In large, and small car parks, crime is an issue. Car parks are a hangout for vandals and thieves and, every year, according to a report published by The Australian Institute of Criminology, an average of 132,000 cars are stolen, 27% of which are from car parks.
Lighting and a lack of surveillance are the key factors to blame.
When the lights are low, or off, we can’t see criminals or their intent. And that’s why car park theft is as rampant as it is, in poorly lit car parks, in Australia.
Presence makes the difference, in fact, it is it.
What we’ve found, through nothing but our experience (we patrol car parks across Australia), is that car park crime drops the moment a car park security guards or patrols are put in place.
It is always better to prevent crime than to have to deal with its aftermath which can involve reputational loss and lengthy court battles and processes.
How to Enhance Car Park Security
Here at Security One-2-One, we employs a simple model to manage security.
We take five factors into control:
1. Car park design
Car park design may or may not be open to debate depending on the client. However, grid-like designs based on ‘sightliness’ that is open, airy and that provide thieves with no place to hide behind vehicles will mean that the carparks will attract fewer thieves.
2. Lighting
A well-lit car park will always provide thieves with few options to hide. Lighting chases away more thieves than police do!
3. Monitoring
Everything needs monitoring—and car parks are no exception. Using surveillance cameras monitored remotely by our security team means we can keep an eye on everything that’s going on in your businesses carpark. And we manage it for you.
4. Access control
At the boom gate, entry and exit points, vehicle access control is key to ensuring it is the owner of the car who is driving out with it. Cars can be swapped, once inside the car park, so physically checking that the owner of the car is the driver of it using driving licenses is key to enhancing security, dropping theft and the poor press that can come from it.
5. Reporting, reviewing, recommending, implementing and measuring
These are simple steps but also essential ones. At Security One-2-One, we ensure we record and report all ‘events’ in the owner’s car park monthly. We will sit with business owners, discuss their fears and develop all the steps we need to address them.
Consumers like to shop at places that are safe
Unfortunately, business owners forget that their customers see their car parks as an extension of their businesses. So, it is key to give them the security they don’t just need but also desire and indeed, demand.
Security One-2-One can help you identify car park crime risk and fix it too. To learn more about how we can help you improve or redesign your carpark’s security please call us on 1300 129 071.
