To stand up to today’s criminals, businesses need to protect their hard-earned assets with the right tools for the job. Today’s business is up against increasingly sophisticated criminals that take advantage of weak spots in a property’s security system, strike after hours and stop at nothing to get away with as much as they can, as quickly as possible.
And while new external threats pop up every day, a rising number of business thefts are also inside jobs. The bottom line is that the old standards for protecting a business are being chucked out the window, as owners and property managers are upping the ante in their fight against the face of crime.
New & Expanding Industries Hit Hard by Theft
Renewable energy is one of the industries hardest hit by business theft. As it continues to expand to include huge infrastructure like solar wind farms, criminals are more frequently stealing expensive PV panels, cabling and hardware to flip on the black market.
Solar panel theft costs renewable energy big time, with panels retailing for around $1,000 a pop. And while criminals may only be able to get a couple hundred dollars on the black market, two thieves can easily take down an average 30 to 50-panel system in less than an hour.
In the last decade alone, the solar industry has had an average annual growth rate of almost 50%. It’s growing, and growing fast, so it’s no wonder that solar and other renewable energy companies are stepping up and fighting back with remote video surveillance that monitors and deters crime before it can even happen.
In the case of renewable energy, oil and gas, and other industries that rely upon expensive, heavy equipment to run their operations, the cost of not proactively preventing theft with a smart, state-of-the-art security system is just too great.
The Rise of the Inside Job
The Cannabis industry is also feeling the sting from a major increase in stolen goods and property—a problem that only continues to get worse as the industry expands and more local producers build out warehouses and other infrastructure to support their growth.
Consider that 50% of dispensaries are robbed or burglarized, and that 90% of these incidents are inside jobs. It’s hard, if not impossible, to keep 24/7 watch over dispensaries, sprawling warehouses, and grow facilities, especially if a business is relying on outdated security measures.
Today’s growing businesses need the right toolset to deal with the rise in crime. Since Cannabusiness includes not only retail dispensaries, but also large warehouses, business owners are turning to a mix of fixed and mobile remote video monitoring to keep 24/7 watch over properties and goods that are vulnerable to theft, vandalism and destruction.
With the average cost per theft in the Cannabis trade coming it at a cool $20K, investing in an airtight security plan helps to prevent inevitable losses that will only continue to stack up over time.
Desperate Criminals Are Taking More Chances – The Face of Crime
Without proactive video monitoring and deterrence firmly in place, property management can also be a nightmare for businesses like self-storage, long-term parking and auto dealerships. And in times when the economy is suffering and unemployment is up, this nightmare can quickly become a hard reality.
Consider that, according to the NYPD, commercial burglaries have gone up 75% in New York City during the COVID-19 outbreak. Seattle reported a shocking 87% uptick in commercial theft during a similar timeframe.
There were over seven million cases of property crime reported in 2018 alone, and that was at a time when unemployment was at all-time lows. Honest, hardworking business owners are having to pick up the slack to protect against criminals who respond to tough times with increased break-ins and burglaries.
While not all crime is totally preventable, much of the theft against businesses can be deterred, and ultimately, eliminated. For most businesses, it’s not a question of if, but rather when a security breach is going to take place.
The question becomes, what are you going to do about the face of crime?
Pro-Vigil fights hard to protect businesses from intruders, theft, vandalism and property destruction. Our next-gen remote video monitoring provides airtight security with an emphasis on proactive deterrence, meaning we use advanced audio and visual deterrents to stop 97% of intruders before they ever have a chance to commit a crime.
Contact us to learn more about protecting your business and securing your assets against the rising threat of crime today.
