Security Services: Options To Better Protect Your Warehouse Facilities

Think your warehouse is safe from thieves and trespassers? It’s time to reassess.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to solicit the help of a professional security services firm.
Indeed, cargo theft alone could cause up to $30 billion of annual losses in the US. Add to that the value of stolen goods from the warehouse itself, and you’ve got an enormous financial problem. Businesses lose billions of dollars in larceny/theft every year.
Money isn’t everything, though. The welfare of warehouse staff and visitors is of far greater value. In today’s violent world, you never know what’s going to happen.
All told, it’s never been more important to properly secure your warehouse.
But what options do you have at your disposal? Security services come in many forms; knowing which is best depends on individual circumstances. Looking for some clarity?
Keep reading to discover the security options to consider for your own warehouse.

1. Start with a Security Consultation

Meeting with a security consultant for an overall security consultation will help you identify weak areas and prioritize your security needs.
A security consultation is about planning to succeed in your security service. Unlike hiring guards and installing security equipment (more on both of these options later), a security consultant will analyze your property, educate you on best practices, and make suggestions to improve your onsite warehouse security.
Hiring a security consultant prior to hiring a security firm is often a first step in vetting the security guard company. Rather than shooting from the hip and hoping for the best, you take sensible and proportionate steps to secure your property.

2. Implement Static and Patrol Guards

Security guards should be a go-to for most warehouse premises.
As trained professionals, they provide a premium level of protection against would-be intruders and thieves. However, not all guards function in the same way.
For example, some are static and others will patrol.
As you might expect, static guards will stay in-situ at a single location. They protect particular weak points, or ‘at-risk’ areas, such as entranceways and exits. Staying in position means these locations are always protected.
Patrols perform a similarly predictable role. They’re there to move around the warehouse premises. Regular patrols are ideal for monitoring an area and catching perpetrators.

3. Armed Guards Provided Additional Security

If security was an airplane, ordinary static/patrolling guards would be a business-class ticket.
Armed guards would be your first-class seat.
These are specially trained security professionals with augmented levels of skill, expertise, and experience. Carrying a weapon on the job involves higher qualifications that mean your warehouse is in safe hands.
Guards inevitably provide a significant deterrent against crime. After all, the chances of being caught and apprehended are far greater. Throw deadly weapons into the mix and the effect only increases.
Warehouse employees can do their work feeling safer and more secure; your warehouse is less likely to encounter issues.

4. Guard Dogs

Guard dogs are another highly effective deterrent against crime.
Most would-be criminals take one look at a snarling patrol dog and run the other way. Working with or without a handler, these animals are trained to respond to an intruder.
They can detect trouble, sound the alarm, chase trespassers and protect your property. Guard dogs function as shield and sword, defending and attacking according to need.

5. Employee Vetting

Some security services, like ours, can help perform pre-screening assessments for potential employees.
Unfortunately, many issues that warehouses experience with stolen goods come from the inside. Employee theft is a serious problem for businesses in all industries around the country.
Employees often have the requisite access and insight to effectively perpetrate a crime.
One way to prevent problems is to hire honest, trustworthy people for the job. That’s where diligent vetting of prospecting staff comes in. Running background checks can identify any cause for concern ahead of time.

6. Event Security

Warehouses often have a wide array of functions.
It isn’t all about storing inventory and fulfilling customer orders. Indeed, the size and scale of the buildings make them great options for holding large-scale events and conventions.
As you might expect, high levels of event security are crucial for ensuring they run safely and smoothly. Hiring security personnel can be key.
They can search peoples’ bags, perform pat-downs, stop guests going to restricted areas, monitor the floor for problems, check IDs and remove troublemakers.

7. Physical Security Measures

Of course, effective security goes beyond manpower.
In reality, it’s important to utilize a combination of security measures. Here are a few physical options to consider:

• Putting fencing around the warehouse.
• Installing alarm systems.
• Utilizing closed-circuit television systems (CCTV).
• Putting spotlights and motion detectors in key places.

Taking these steps will help ensure your warehouse is protected to a greater degree. They can work hand in hand to make a security guard’s job easier too.

8. Cyber Security Measures

These days, warehouse security is incomplete without addressing the threat of cyberattacks.
Many warehouses couldn’t run without the internet. Everything, from ordering inventory and tracking products to running machinery and fulfilling orders, relies on the web.
Indeed, the internet of things is taking an increasingly central role in warehouse management.
All told, warehouses can expect the likelihood of cyberattacks to increase dramatically.
That makes it vital for them to take protective measures. There’s a whole host of ways to do it. Purchasing liability insurance, ensuring all software is updated, installing antivirus software, backing up data, and so on will help.

Time to Weigh Your Security Services Options

Warehouses around the country are in desperate need of security services.
Large stocks of valuable items and equipment make them attractive targets for would-be thieves and intruders. Indeed, theft can (and does) occur from outsiders and employees alike; dangerous trespassers can pose a significant threat to peoples’ welfare.
Billions of dollars are lost every year by businesses that hadn’t take appropriate safety precautions.
The question shouldn’t be whether or not you need security. Instead, you should be asking about the type and extent of security you require.

Hopefully, this post has highlighted a selection of options at your disposal.
Settled on the security you require for your warehouses in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wilmington, Washington or Jersey City? Contact us today to see how we can help.

OPS Security Group has over 80 years of combined experience protecting executives, businesses, residents, guests and government officials throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C. and New Jersey. As a regional security alternative with a service-first approach, we offer a level of customer service that international providers are too big to deliver. If you’d like to learn more, you can contact us at https://opssecuritygroup.com/contact/