Vandalism at commercial properties isn’t just senseless destruction but instead happens for reasons that made perfect sense to perpetrators. Perhaps they meant to punish or express anger at your company or someone who works there. Maybe your property was handy for showing off, sending messages or proving themselves to a gang. Perhaps it was a lark with friends and they wanted to play a game or combat boredom.
“Whatever the particular reason behind it, vandalism is a crime of opportunity,” says Bob Hillier, President of Paul Davis of Houston, Texas. “To deter vandals, make your commercial property look difficult or dangerous to vandalize. Deterrence is worth doing because vandalism hurts your business. It scares customers away, harms employee morale, deters suppliers, costs money to repair and contributes to community decline.”
When advising commercial customers how to deter vandalism, Paul Davis focuses prevention measures on three main areas:
The Wider Community: Form relationships and partnerships with people and organizations that are close by or interact with your business. Get in touch with community groups, adjacent businesses, local police and neighbourhood watch organizations. Paid partners such as security firms that patrol your property are another effective option. Frequently, businesses defray security costs by sharing services with neighbouring companies.
Your Property: Make it harder for vandals to strike your property. Install fences and lighting equipped with motion sensors. Contract with an alarm company to install and monitor an alarm system. Trim landscaping so it doesn’t obscure areas and provide cover for people who are up to no good. Keep the premises neat by clearing debris and securing trash in locked containers.
Your People: Develop, implement and reinforce good security and maintenance procedures. Vandalism happens because vandals found an opportunity: the window was unlocked, the accumulated trash was easily ignited or the security system wasn’t set. Additionally, value employees and support their success at your company. Happy employees are motivated to protect their livelihoods.
And if vandals strike your property despite your best efforts? “Report any vandalism to the authorities immediately, even if it’s minor,” Hillier urges. “Reporting it enables police forces to track trends, anticipate and prevent future attacks.”
If vandals damage your property despite your best preventative efforts, Paul Davis promises to be onsite within four hours of a call for help 24/7/365.