With vehicle theft in the US amounting to around $6 billion per year, the need for car dealerships to continually overview their security is one of the highest priorities. The need to display their wares to the public, often in car lots with various entrances, brings multiple challenges to ensure both ease of access and adequate defense against thieves.
The following discusses the options dealership owners have to ensure the safety of their precious assets.
- Lock all vehicles and keep keys guarded: This might sound obvious, but the first rule of car lot security is often overlooked. Hundreds of thousands of car thefts are down to the simple fact that they’ve not been locked or that the keys are too easily accessed. It should be a staunch protocol for all staff to ensure all cars are locked and that keys and/or electronic key fobs are locked safely within the building or office.
- Good lighting and secure perimeter fencing: Criminals like to operate within the shadows, making good lighting is essential. This should include flood lights around a car lot—preferably ones operated via motion-sensor—that will bathe the area in light should the premises be targeted during the hours of darkness. Secure fencing is also an effective deterrent, as should be consideration of an access control system that allows car dealers to monitor exactly when and who has admittance to all or certain parts of the dealership.
- CCTV/Video surveillance: Such systems are hugely effective at deterring criminals. Cameras can operate via a motion sensor, sending alerts to any computer or device of your choosing, recording live, and archiving footage that can then be recalled and used as evidence should criminal damage or theft occur. It’s also possible to control cameras via mobile devices, meaning you can monitor from any location where you have an internet or mobile signal.
- Alarm monitoring: A good quality alarm system coupled with security monitoring from a reputable company is by far and away one of the prime methods of securing a car dealership. Should an alarm be triggered you can rest easy in the knowledge that they’ll be an immediate response by the monitoring service, with security dispatched and/or the police alerted if necessary.
- Security guards: High-end dealerships might consider on-site security, the provision of visited security, or video security monitoring in combination with alarm monitoring.
The ultimate security utilizes a combination of the above methods, with the key to ensuring the best combination is through the expertise of a professional.Â
Fast Guard Service is a leading global security company trusted by some of the world’s largest brands to protect their businesses. Such a service will carry out a full risk assessment, pinpoint any weaknesses, and put in place a bespoke system that will protect the premises and vehicles to the full. With the assets of such a business representing hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more, in the case of luxury vehicle dealerships) the provision of robust security is an essential aspect of any car dealership.