Two men are in custody after trying to pawn off $5,000 worth of tools stolen from a construction site in Prescott Valley, Arizona, the Yavapai County Sheriff announced. The suspects were arrested after video surveillance footage caught them trying to pawn off the stolen goods. Investigators are currently reviewing other theft cases from several law enforcement jurisdictions believed to be tied to the suspects.
Unfortunately, this type of theft is typical across the country, and not all thieves are caught. Worse, often those responsible are your own workers. Between $300 million and $1 billion worth of construction equipment is stolen annually, and only 23 percent is ever recovered, according National Insurance Crime Bureau and National Equipment Register data. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of theft and increase the odds of stolen equipment being recovered, as well as protect your company’s digital perimeter. Here are three security protocols you can implement to protect your company from theft.
Deploy Construction Site Video Monitoring
One effective way to reduce theft and improve equipment recovery rates is to deploy construction site video monitoring. Video surveillance cameras can serve as a deterrent when coupled with warning signs, letting would-be thieves know that they are being monitored and encouraging them to seek easier prey elsewhere. Video surveillance footage can also be used to help authorities identify suspects and recover stolen property.
One of the best types of surveillance cameras to use on construction sites is mobile surveillance units. These wireless cameras can be installed anywhere, and can also be monitored from any location using a mobile device or PC. This allows your monitoring service to observe your site at all times and respond more rapidly to the first hint of suspicious activity. It also enables you to keep an eye on what workers are doing to prevent internal theft.
Use RFID Equipment Tagging
Radio frequency identification tagging is another strategy you can use to prevent theft and promote equipment recovery. RFID tags contain a microchip and can communicate remotely with an RFID reader. This enables you to track a device’s location.
RFID tagging works especially well when combined with geofencing. Geofencing sets up a digital perimeter, allowing you to receive a notification when equipment is carried outside this perimeter. By using this tactic, you can receive an instant alert when someone attempts to remove equipment from your site’s premises.
Implement BYOD Policy Management
In today’s connected world, digital security is also an essential part of construction security. Your company’s digital assets can be just as vulnerable to theft as your physical equipment. Moreover, hackers may exploit holes in your digital security in order to gain information that can be used for physical theft, or to sabotage security cameras.
A good BYOD policy can help keep your workers’ smartphones and tablets from becoming gateways for thieves to access your company. An effective policy should clearly define who on your project is allowed to bring their own device, as well as which types of devices and software are allowed. It should also require measures to protect company data, such as use of up-to-date antivirus software and encrypted VPS networks. You should also maintain the ability to remotely wipe company data from devices after a worker is terminated or a device is reported lost or stolen.
Construction site video monitoring, RFID equipment tagging and BYOD policy management are three strategies you can adopt to promote better security on your site. Implementing these strategies can help you keep construction theft from hitting your business, and can help increase your odds of recovering your equipment if you do experience a theft incident.
You must be logged in to post a comment.