Municipal properties have become hotbeds of illegal activity from trespassing, to theft, and destructive acts of vandalism. How can we help secure these important public properties?
Municipalities are targets for criminals.
Many municipal properties require protection – city halls, public works, parks and recreation centres, community spaces, and more. Because of their important position within the communities they serve, they are easy targets for trespassing, theft, vandalism and other crimes. When these crimes do occur, they lead to significant expenses for municipalities to repair and replace the damage – thus leading to delays in local projects and community initiatives.
Highlighting the need for greater public security.
Incidents that have occurred across Canada as of late are raising the alarm for more proactive municipality security.
In March 2024, a string of break and enter incidents prompted the municipality of Chatham-Kent, ON to hire physical security guards. The incidents occurred in a zone of property scheduled to be purchased and demolished, after a gas explosion in the downtown section of the city destroyed several buildings in August 2021. The emergency situation has cost the municipality $22 million, with the vandalism and looting contributing to the rising expenses. The city has dealt with many incidents of trespassing and looting at night, and physical security guards were taken off duty after they were found to be not properly securing the area. (1)
In April 2024, Hamilton Police responded to incidents of vandalism at a local elementary school. Fourteen windows were broken using an air gun, resulting in damages costing over $10,000. There was no security footage captured and Police are appealing to the local community for any camera footage that could aid them in their investigation. (2)
During the same period, a community park in Parksville, BC was the target of continual destructive vandalism. An accessible washroom that had only been recently completed was damaged to the tune of $6,000. Separator walls in between the urinals and toilets were ripped down, and soap dispensers were ripped from the wall and destroyed. Newly installed vandalism-resistant hardware was also destroyed, and wasn’t easily replaced due to its custom design – resulting in the washroom being unusable for several weeks. (3)
With public security and municipal properties at risk, a proactive security solution is required to keep municipalities secure.
How do we provide effective city security services?
Artificial Intelligence easily detects would-be criminals
Many city security cameras capture footage of various individuals, but our Artificial Intelligence platform takes security surveillance to the next level. AI has changed the face of proactive security – and our proprietary AI platform is continually learning and adapting to the host of incident data it receives. When someone enters into camera view, AI will differentiate their movement from other movement on-site – wildlife, weather patterns and inanimate objects. Once detected by AI, our Monitoring team will issue proactive deterrents to warn criminals off-site.
Video Security Units capture every move
Through the power of our proprietary cellular LTE+ platform, our Video Security Units form a wireless security grid to protect municipal properties. Stationary cameras establish perimeter protection and situational awareness, while a dedicated PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera zooms in on important details. Multiple units can be installed to cover all the angles and areas of a property, creating an envelope of proactive protection. All footage is captured in high resolution and sent back securely to our Live Remote Video Monitoring facility.
Live Remote Video Monitoring deters criminals from acting
The mission of our highly trained Live Remote Video Monitoring team is to deter crime before it happens. They use proactive deterrents to send the message home – loud, authoritative voice commands, and bright LED strobe lights to warn that the property is off limits. Once would-be criminals know they are being live monitored, they will leave faster than they arrived. If criminal don’t desist in their actions, Police will dispatched to the scene.
IR Night Vision shines a spotlight on criminals
Municipal properties are vulnerable to theft and vandalism after-hours when staff have gone home and there is less activity on-site. In addition, there may be areas of the property that are poorly lit and could be exploited by criminals. Our IR night vision cameras bring criminals out of the dark and into the light. They may think the dark is their ally, but not with IR night vision cameras capturing their every move.
syncroDetect protects sensitive areas
Exterior areas on municipal properties need protection, but interior and sensitive areas are also of high importance. Our wireless intrusion alarm system, syncroDetect, is a cost effective way to offer additional protection. Wireless door and window contact sensors will activate if entrance and exit points are breached, and motion sensors will catch movement and alert our Monitoring operators to the presence of any trespassers.
syncroReports is a full service security portal
We believe in providing full transparency for our clients through our proprietary reporting platform, syncroReports. Stay fully abreast of all site security and project management efforts at the click of a button. View detailed Log Reports, control PTZ camera movement, and never miss a moment of what is happening on your site.
Through Live Remote Video Monitoring, we can help secure municipal properties from trespassing, theft, and vandalism – protecting public spaces so they can be enjoyed by all.
Resources:
- “Downtown Wheately under 24-hour security again after recent break-ins”, Paul Pedro, CK News Today, March 8, 2024
- “Hamilton Police Investigate Vandalism at Mount Albion Elementary School”, Hamilton Police Service, April 10, 2024
- “’It’s just malicious’: Parksville’s mayor enraged with ongoing Community Park vandalism”, Ian Holmes, Nanaimo News Now, April 4, 2024