Crime Prevention & Commercial Building Maintenance

If you own or manage a commercial building, preventing on-site crime has to be a top priority. Few things can drive down rent rates and increase vacancy faster than your tenants feeling unsafe. So the obvious question is “What can a facility manager do to prevent crime and violence?” The short answer is…”A ton.” But the more nuanced and realistic answer is that you can’t possibly hope to prevent all on-site crime and that there isn’t a one-time solution. Your crime-prevention plan need to constantly be evaluated and improved to stay a step ahead of those who would damage your facility or do harm to its guests.

Below is a set of steps to walk through as you build your security plan. A great first step is to simply review them and honestly ask yourself if you and your team have done a great job of addressing each area of need we have outlined below. After that, build out a plan for areas that could use improvement and get to work!

1-First, make facility safety a high priority with your staff, ownership and maintenance provider.

2-Make a case to your investment group or owners for budget that reflects security being a true priority. Being safe isn’t a low budget item. It costs money and on the other side, with properly scheduled maintenance and security it can yield revenues through higher rent rates and occupancy.

4-It goes without saying, but keep your property secure, clean and keep your building well maintained.

5-Lighting can make a huge difference. It is one of the easiest an cheapest ongoing safety measures to employ.

6-Cameras throughout your facility increase the risk of being caught and therefore can be a significant deterrent to criminal activity.

7-Look for ways to involve your tenants as additional eyes and ears, as well as being personally vigilant to look for and report suspicious activity.

8-Connect with other nearby facilities managers to form a wider, overlapping net of patrol and prevention.

9-Establish a relationship with local police and check in often to stay updated on what is happening at local properties. Crime comes in waves and a small additional measure of prevention work at right time can make a difference.

10-Pay for the advice of experts. Experience counts and obtaining best practices from consultants can help you see vulnerabilities at your faculties and address them before they are exploited.

11-Taking the time to conduct audits of your own security setup and maintenance is a great way to find and fill the gaps. Consultants, associations or your colleagues who operate other facilities can all take part in an audit of your facility at a reasonable cost.