While they are fine at establishing a perimeter around construction sites, power plants, auto dealerships and more, rarely do fences work as a true deterrent and are lacking when it comes to security value.
In this post, we examine the strengths and weaknesses of fences and how organizations can turn that chain-link barrier into a real security asset by adding video and pro-active deterrents.
Imposing Structures, But Easy to Compromise
The recent events around the Dallas Zoo show the limitations of fences, especially when a person has a pair of wire cutters and a bit of resolve.
Attempting to free animals, NPR reports that a suspect simply cut holes in the zoo’s fence and took two emperor tamarin monkeys to a vacant home in the Metroplex.
The suspect is also accused of cutting a hole in the clouded leopard’s habitat, resulting in a search for the missing big cat; thankfully she was found nearby her habitat later that day.
While a business may wonder what this “monkey business” has to do with them, the situation at the zoo underscores a very important truth: fences don’t keep out a determined criminal.
Case in point, there have been a rash of attacks against the electrical grid. One of which was in the Pacific Northwest, where a hole cut through the security fence by the intruders was left open and unrepaired for three weeks.
This is not unusual – organizations tend to leave damaged fences unrepaired for days or even weeks, often because the opening is cut in a hard-to-notice place. In many cases criminals will use the same entry point over and over again, as long as it is not repaired.
Even electric fences have their limitations. While a jolt of energy seems like it would deter most vandals, they’ve found shocking ways to avoid getting zapped.
Thieves can go under the fence, where there is no electricity, and some customers report that a cheap pair of rubber gloves and some bolt cutters from a local hardware store is all thieves need to get past the obstacle..
An electric fence may stop “casual intruders,” but they are of little use against determined criminals who have already established that there is something valuable on the other side.
Often, criminals compromise the fence well in advance of a crime and return to it later – a gaping hole is proof positive there’s no surveillance at the scene.
They may use it multiple times, over a period of days, until the owner finally notices and repairs the hole.
Implementing a Layered Approach
Many business owners make the mistake of thinking they have security covered with a fence installation. Unfortunately, they often find out how mistaken they are when repairing a cut fence.
Best practices call for a layered approach to security, and this often means adding video surveillance to fences to harden the perimeter from criminals.
This forces thieves to contend with more than one thing – the fence – and figuring out how to also hack a video system is usually too much for them.
Pro-Vigil provides exactly this, with video surveillance covering not only the perimeter, but also all high-value items and entryways for criminals.
The video is enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) that recognizes and alerts on improper activity. Best of all, customers have a team of virtual security guards monitoring their property 24/7, ready to launch visual and audio deterrents when needed.
And in extreme cases, this team can alert local emergency services to remove the intruder from their property.
Pro-Vigil video surveillance plus a fence will stop crime with a multi-layered approach. In fact, Pro-Vigil has deterred up to 97% of crimes before they happen – that combination is definitely a good neighbor! For more information, contact Pro-Vigil.
