Parking lot security is crucial to keeping your business and your customers safe. If a crime happens in your parking lot, it could damage your business – and your reputation. Here are five actions you can take to mitigate the risk of parking lot crime.
#1 – Add More Lighting To The Parking Lot
Parking lots should be well lit. If your business operates during hours when it is dark outside, good lighting deters would-be criminals and helps your customers and staff feel safe. It’s also easier to identify the perpetrators if a crime occurs. Even if your business is closed in the evening, criminals could attempt a break-in or use your dimly lit parking lot as a meeting place for criminal activity. Well-lit spaces ward off crime.
#2 – Keep Up With Parking Lot Maintenance
A well-maintained parking lot shows you care about the appearance and safety of your business. And it serves as a deterrent. Don’t leave graffiti on your buildings or parking lot surface. Remove it quickly and make every effort to identify the perpetrators to prevent further vandalism. Also, be sure that litter is picked up, weeds and debris are removed, grass trimmed, and parking lot lines are clear and not faded. One simple way to keep up with maintenance is to outsource the work to a contractor and schedule it in advance on a routine basis.
#3 – Post Clear And Easy-To-Read Signs In Your Parking Lot
Helping customers get to and from their vehicles quickly improves parking lot security. If signs are clear and easy-to-read, people visiting your business will know exactly where they are and where to go next. This is especially important in larger parking lots. You don’t want customers distracted and wandering around because they can’t find any markers to lead them back to their car. This could make them a prime target for criminals. So think through your signage and where it is placed. And keep it clean and maintained and replace it if it becomes too difficult to read.
#4 – Control Access To The Parking Lot
Depending on the location of your business, this may or may not be an option. If you do have control over the parking lot that your staff and customers use, then consider limiting its access. This can be done in several ways including parking stickers for employee vehicles, or even entrances and exits that control the flow and monitor who goes in and out.
#5 – Install An Advanced Surveillance System
A state-of-the-art surveillance system is one of the most effective parking lot security measures that you can implement to mitigate risk. Unlike low-quality CCTV systems, which have unclear pictures and are easily tampered with, a high-definition, cloud-based security system will help you identify and possibly even prevent crime from happening in your parking lock. If criminals know that your parking lot is under surveillance, many will go elsewhere. And in the event that they still attempt a crime, security features like Pro-Vigil remote guards that have deterred intruders 97% of the time without having to contact law enforcement.
Be Proactive With Parking Lot Security
Poor security in your parking lot is bad for your company and its reputation. Nobody wants to read or see on the news that a crime was committed on their premises, but the criminal got away because the parking lot was dimly lit or there was no outside video monitoring. Pro-Vigil has advanced video surveillance technology to protect your business and help your customers feel safe when they visit. Learn more about Pro-Vigil video surveillance to enhance your parking lot security.
