When managing a self-storage facility, the security of your customer’s assets should be a top priority. Family heirlooms, artwork & collectibles and company/personal records are just a few of the highly valuable possessions that are commonly stored in storage facilities. How important is security?
Self-Storage threats are on the rise.
When you have highly valuable assets stored in a facility, crime will usually be quick to follow. Theft is a major threat to storage facilities, especially when little to no security is present. A particular storage facility located in Whitby, Ontario has been broken into 76 times in 2021 alone(1).
Theft isn’t the only security threat that self-storage facilities face. Due to the privacy factor that is inherent when renting a storage facility, individuals with ill-intent are quick to take advantage. These units can often become homes to illegal contraband, or worse. In London, Ontario, various suspicious chemicals were found in a storage unit that led law enforcement to suspect that a drug lab was previously operating out of the unit(4).
Why traditional reactive security systems aren't enough...
CBC News has just reported on a self-storage theft that occurred at a facility in Richmond, British Columbia. The culprit(s) broke into an artists’ storage locker and stole pieces from her personal artwork collection, and a variety of family heirlooms.
CBC reached out for comments to our CEO & security expert, Alex Vourkoutiotis, who said “…If you don’t have an active, monitored system, then you run the risk of just going in after the fact and perusing video footage — that may or may not exist — to determine what happened or maybe who did it”(5). For more information on CBC’s investigation of self-storage theft, you can read the complete investigative report here.
Our Proactive Self-Storage Security Solution
When it comes to preventing theft or other criminal activity at self-storage facilities, we recommend implementing our innovative video monitoring security service which operates over the national Cellular LTE+ network.
As a first line of defense, we deploy video surveillance warning signage around the facility. This provides visibility to the public to inform them that their actions are being monitored and recorded. As the centerpiece of our security solution, we deploy our industry leading video security units that come equipped with high resolution stationary and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras that are strategically placed around the perimeter of the site, with views of any important areas such as entrances, exits, and corridors.
When an individual is detected on our security cameras, our highly skilled video monitoring operators will actively deter the suspect by utilizing various highly effective security peripherals. Voice commands are issued as a vocal deterrent, warning the suspect that they are on camera and any actions are being recorded and will be sent to the Police. For a visual deterrence, our operators will utilize our blue LED deterrence strobe light.
This peripheral can also be used as a way of alerting the police to specific locations around the site. In the event that the suspect cannot be deterred, our operators will immediately contact local law enforcement, providing them with critical details such as suspect’s description, location, and behavior. While the police arrive on site, our operators will continue to gather any additional details to further assist the Police in apprehension of the suspect.
Once the suspect(s) are apprehended, an incident report will be accessible to you via our security information reporting platform, syncroReports. This platform is you and your team’s access point to important security information such as in-depth reports, robust analytics, and live security feeds straight from your site!
With storage facility theft on the rise, it has never been more important than now to implement a video monitoring service to protect your facility. Our solution provides an effective, and most importantly, proactive security system & service that detects & deters crime, in real-time.
References:
- 1,2. “Ontario Man who had $11,000 worth of goods stolen from storage unit now in dispute over who should pay”
- 3. “$30,000 worth of stolen goods recovered after string of Quinte West storage locker break-ins” Global News, Alexandra Mazur, April 27th, 2020
- 4. “London police find suspected drug lab in storage unit on commissioners Rd.” The London Free Press, Dale Carruthers, April 26th, 2021
- 5. “Got something in self storage? What you need to know amid rising thefts” CBC News, Erica Johnson, November 29th, 2021