Protecting Your Car Dealership From Theft With Security Guard Patrols

After a rash of car thefts from dealerships, are you sure you’re being fully protected?

While the statistics of car theft have steadily been decreasing since the 1990’s, a recent string of car thefts in Southwestern Ontario have sparked a new discussion amongst dealership owners. Specifically, is my car lot secure? Am I being properly protected from possible theft? Possibly not.

Below are some blind spots you may have missed in your security setup or how to assess the effectiveness of your current security provider.

Do you have a locking gate and/or fencing at all driveways accessing the property?

This should be one of the first steps you take to secure your car dealership. This will prevent anyone from driving on or off your lot when the dealership it closed, thereby limiting some of the risks.

Do you use security cameras on the interior and exterior of your lot? Are the cameras motion activated?

Once again, this security measure is fairly common however not all dealerships have a camera installed in each necessary location around the lot, the optimal number of cameras, or aren’t recording videos correctly. In order for this tool to provide as much security as possible, your dealership should not only use security cameras as part of your system but install them both inside and outside your dealership and have the ability to store and review videos as needed.

What steps are you taking to keep inventory and secure vehicle keys?

Simply because your vehicle keys are stored within a locked building doesn’t necessarily mean your keys are secure. It’s not uncommon for organized car thieves to scout dealership in order to locate where car keys are kept and break into the dealership to steal the keys at a later date. With this in mind, extra care should be taken to ensure that all keys are accounted for at the close of each business day and locked securely away before staff leave the premises.

Who has access to your facility when closed?

Installing an access authorization system to your building is an easy way to manage who has access to your dealership and when. It not only enables keyless entry to staff in some cases, but it allows for greater control and monitoring for you should an incident occur, or internal theft be detected.

Have you hired an external security provider?

External security personnel can be a valuable part of your security system. When you hire a reputable team, you can count on your security team to assist you in mobile security patrols, monitoring your security footage, and on-location security patrols to name just a few.

Learn more about Third Watch Protection’s security services >

What can you expect from your security provider while on-site?

While on patrol both in their vehicles and on foot, security providers should be vigilant — ensuring that no trespassers are on your property, checking between vehicles or less-trafficked areas and ensuring that no vehicles have been tampered with. At the end of each patrol, a report should be completed for your review noting anything of interest that occurred during that patrol.

If you’re unsure or unhappy about the quality of the patrols being conducted by your current security providers, click here for more information about what you can do to assess your security provider.

Specializing in Car Dealership security, Third Watch Protection Services can give you peace of mind knowing that your property is fully protected at all times. If you are looking for a new security provider, please contact us today for a free consultation.
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