Budget-Conscious Security Tips to Deter Crime at Auto Dealerships

After a two-year decline, auto thefts are on the rise once again. In fact, this year, motor vehicle theft in Milwaukee has increased 152%, compared to the same time period in 2020. And, Long Beach, California, police reported a 57% rise in auto thefts since the beginning of the year.

Crime at Auto Dealerships

Unfortunately for auto dealerships, crime isn’t as simple as “thieves stealing cars,” either. Car parts can be extremely valuable to criminals and much easier to get away with than driving a car off a lot.

In fact, one of the most costly crimes carried out on dealerships – and one that is also difficult to identify and stop – is catalytic converter theft. And that’s not all. There’s also vandalism, property damage and customer fraud to consider. All of these crime incidents add up over the course of a year and can take a significant toll on a dealership’s bottom line and reputation. 

Auto Theft and Crime

Crime incidents may be on the rise, but that doesn’t mean security budgets are increasing alongside them. In fact, for many companies, the opposite is true: Due to the pandemic, dealerships are operating on a limited budget, with minimal financial resources available to allocate to physical security. 

Here’s the good news: to be effective, your physical security strategy doesn’t have to cost a fortune. But, it does need to be proactive and strategic – and this means putting measures in place that deter criminals from attempting an attack on your property. 

Pro-Vigil Founder Jeremy White authored a contributed article on just this topic that was recently published on WardsAuto, a well-respected vertical publication that covers news and insights on the global automotive industry.

In his piece, “Three Simple Things Auto Dealers Can Do to Deter Crime,” Jeremy discusses why a proactive security program is so important and provides readers with three cost-effective and easy-to-implement security best practices that will help them keep trespassers off their property and deter crime of all kinds. We feel his tips are so valuable that they are worth repeating. Here’s what Jeremy had to say: