All products are developed, processed, or assembled at a Manufacturing plant before being shipped down the supply chain and eventually into the consumers’ hands. Due to the highly valuable equipment and vast amount of raw material & inventory, these Manufacturing facilities have become a target for criminal activity.
The current threat of theft & vandalism at Manufacturing Facilities
Crimes, such as theft & vandalism, are becoming increasingly prevalent within the Manufacturing industry. Countless cases of inventory theft have been documented around the country, due to supply chain issues causing backups of inventory at factories, as well as the highly valuable machinery and materials used in the manufacturing process.
In March 2022, a metal theft occurred at a manufacturing plant in Milton(1), where the suspect cut their way through the chain-link fence and entered the rear lot of the facility. The individual grabbed a large quantity of this aluminum and loaded it into a commercial van, before fleeing the scene. Between April 9th and 11th, a week after the previous break in, the same manufacturing plant fell victim to another theft, this time resulting in a $12,000 of inventory loss(2).
Theft isn’t the only crime that is prevalent at Manufacturing facilities. In late spring 2022, a Vancouver brewery was broken into, where an individual gained access through a smashed window and caused extensive, malicious damage to the business. Police arrived quickly, resulting in an altercation that left both the suspect and an RCMP officer in the hospital,(3).
In 2020, a major disruptive event took place in Nova Scotia, when a group of protesters raided two large lobster processing facilities, destroying the property, and inventory as they went(4).
Vandalism is a common issue at factory properties, due to the facilities spanning across large areas with little to no security, making them an easy target for vandals.
Once vandals access the property, they are free to cause large amounts of damage before being noticed… if they are even noticed at all.
How do we protect your Manufacturing Facility?
The goal of our Manufacturing Facility security is the early detection and deterrence of suspicious behaviour before it turns criminal. Our first line of defense are our effective anti-trespassing and video surveillance warning signage, which warn the potential trespasser that they are approaching an off-limits site that has active remote video monitoring and trespassers will be prosecuted.
If the suspect continues forward to enter the compound, they will be detected on our high resolution security cameras that are strategically positioned to protect the perimeter of the site. Once detected, our operators will begin to utilize our highly effective security peripherals in order to deter the suspect off the property before they can cause any damage.
Voice commands are issued from our live communication speakers, to warn the suspect that they are trespassing, that their actions are being recorded, and that the Police will be dispatched if they do not vacate the premises immediately. Our blue LED deterrence strobe light is used in tandem, as a visual deterrence.
If the suspect refuses to leave the site, our operators will immediately contact the local authorities and provide them with critical details that can assist in the apprehension of the suspect, including suspect description, location, and behavior.
As the Police are on route, our operators will continue to gather as many details as possible to further assist the Police. Once the threat is mitigated, our operators compile all the information gathered into a detailed report, which is sent directly to you, accompanied with images and video of the incident.
This report is also accessible through our security information reporting platform, syncroReports. Our platform is your access point to all your site security information such as in-depth reports, robust analytics, and security feeds straight from your site.
For an additional layer of protection, we deploy our wireless intrusion alarm system, syncroDetect. This device comes equipped with both wireless door & window contact sensors and indoor motion detection sensors.
These devices are placed at access points to the factory, storage lockers, or on heavy machinery. Once a sensor is tripped, our UL Certified Monitoring Centre is alerted and our operators will utilize the surrounding cameras to gain a visual on the area of concern and contact the Police, if necessary.
Manufacturing facilities are a major target to criminal activity due to the highly valuable assets and little to no security that is often present. Our industry leading remote video monitoring and intrusion alarm security solutions are the most effective way of protecting your facility from these threats.
Resources:
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“Large amount of aluminum stolen from Milton company” David Lea, The Star, March 31, 2022
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Police investigating following $12,000 theft from Milton manufacturing company” David Lea, The Star, April 13, 2022
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“Break-in at Metro Vancouver brewery leads to ‘extensive damage.’ Mountie and suspect taken to hospital” Alyse Kotyk, CTV News, March 29th 2022
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“Vehicle torched, lobster pounds storing Mi’kmaw catches trashed during night of unrest in N.S” Taryn Grant, CBC News, Oct 14th, 2020