The Advantages of Smart Security Systems For West Midlands Businesses

How secure is your West Midlands business? Do you have smart security systems that will outwit a burglar? Or better still, deter multiple thieves?

The stats say that most businesses have a security set-up that won't do either of those things.

So will your business burglary be one of the 9 out of 10 that remain unsolved... because you didn't invest in a few monitored cameras...?

West Midlands businesses face a unique security challenge for three reasons:

1. they are often targeted by criminals looking to steal equipment and rob their tills;
2. the chances of the Police even identifying the burglars are only 1 in 10; and
3. nearly three quarters of businesses who have break ins don't install a security system to stop the thieves from coming back to have another go.

With such a poor rate of detection, burglars are always going to come back. They're not worried about being caught by the Police.

And they'll come back when you have used the insurance money to replace your stolen stock!

Smart businesses owners will invest in better security.

But, if you don't do anything to beef up the protection on your doors and windows, the thieves are just going to come in again...

And, whether your burglars are smart or not, they are probably going to use the same method to enter your business that worked so well for them the previous time.

Secure in the knowledge that they're not going to get caught this time... either!

WEST MIDLANDS BUSINESS BURGLARIES THAT MADE THE NEWS

Wolverhampton Tools Stolen

In February 2022, Police were appealing for information after tools worth £25,500 were stolen from a business premises on the Wolverhampton/South Staffordshire border.

A truck parked on the site was broken into. It contained a treasure trove of tools, including Dewalt drills and saws, chainsaws, leaf blowers, electric grinders, three mains transformers and petrol generators.

The business owners know what was stolen but not who the thieves were or how they got in. No cameras and no monitoring mean that the Police are left appealing for witnesses who might have dashcam or neighbours who might have their own CCTV footage.

And the only time frame they have is 6pm one day to 7.50am the next.

The thieves had more than 12 hours to get in and take what they wanted. Because there was no business security system.

Commercial Metal Thefts

Also in February, the Police announced an increase in metal thefts from commercial buildings.

Birmingham Warehouse Burglary

And in August 2022, coffee machines worth £300,000 were stolen from Birmingham warehouse. The thieves also left a mess when they sprayed fire extinguishers everywhere. So there was the additional cost of cleaning up after them.

It was the second time the company had been targeted - even though they do have some security cameras. Sadly the business security set up did not include professional monitoring so they can't tell who dunnit. Or the Police response that might have caught the thieves in the act..

What is Business & Community Burglary?

The definition for this from the West Midlands Police website says:

A business and community burglary is when someone enters a building such as an office, shop, restaurant or place of worship with the intent to steal something or commit a crime.

This includes all buildings or parts of buildings that are used solely for business purposes or are outside the classification of residential burglary such as a library or community centre.

If the burglar has a weapon, such as a gun, knife or explosive, this is classified as an aggravated business and community burglary.

Commercial Crime Stats

Whilst not West Midlands-specific, the 2021 Commercial Victimisation Survey reported on crimes against business in June.

38% of business premises (151,000 premises) in the Wholesale and Retail sector in England and Wales had been a victim of crime in the year to March 2021.

27% of premises had suffered theft and 10% burglary.

As in previous years, theft by a customer was the most prevalent type of theft (usually food and groceries). It was also the most frequently experienced of all crime types.

However, only 58% of respondents said that 'theft by customer' crimes were reported to the Police. Compared to 93% for burglary with entry.

Effects of business crimes

The most common impacts included:

• financial loss (68%),
• stolen goods and services (60%) and
• additional staff time needed to deal with the incident (46%)

West Midlands Crime Stats

The various websites reporting crime stats in the West Midlands can be confusing. Unlike areas like Essex, they don't separate out commercial burglaries from residential burglaries.

The UK Crimestats report for May 2021 to May 22 says the West Midlands experienced 20,284 burglaries. This has decreased since March 2022 but is still higher than in 2021.

Shoplifting saw an increase with 1,555 incidents in 2022 vs 1,041 in 2021.

On the West Midlands section of Crimerate.co.uk, it is reported that the West Midlands is the second most dangerous region in England!

This is based on stats from 2021...

• 28,050 burglaries;
• 35,658 Other thefts;
• 8,844 robberies;
• 2,4829 shoplifting;
• 4,133 theft from the person.

However, they do say that the stats from 2021 for burglary are still half what they were in 2018 - with the crime rate per 1,000 residents of 4.7 in 2021 vs 8 in 2018.

On the West Midlands Police site, the latest crime statistics were given for 2021. Whilst robbery increased by 11% (including personal and business robberies) overall this was still below pre-covid (2019) levels.

Crime stats for solving burglaries

In 2020, a local newspaper revealed some shocking crime stats. The West Midlands Police had the worst record in country for solving burglaries in 2019.

9 out of 10 cases closed without a suspect being identified

The region's Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, highlighted that more than half of all burglary is committed by those with a drug addiction trying to pay for their habit.

He also said that burglary offences had fallen in the latest crime statistics, and that with "the right level of resourcing" the force could do more to tackle the crime.

SMART BUSINESS SECURITY SYSTEMS THAT TURN BURGLARS OFF

To stop burglaries, a business security system is essential. Even small businesses should consider at least an alarm system with some CCTV cameras.

Investing in security solutions that will make your premises a less attractive target for thieves.

BUT... if you want to keep your insurance company happy...

It must be a professional installation from a security expert at an accredited security business. Not a DIY job by a mate from down the pub.

Your security setup could include multiple security systems:

• Access control to prevent people getting onto your property.
• Smart locks and window sensors to stop them getting into your buildings.
• Intruder alarm systems that signal a burglary is in progress.
• And CCTV systems with outdoor cameras and indoor cameras.
• Plus video surveillance to record who is doing what.

Better still, make it a smart security system that puts you, the business owner, in control.

What is a Smart Security System?

Smart security systems are security systems that have been enhanced with features that allow you to control them remotely... using your phone, laptop or tablet. From wherever you are in the world - so long as there is a secure internet connection.

This could include the ability to:

• set and unset your alarm,
• view footage from your CCTV cameras,
• monitor your property from a distance,
• receive alerts when movement or noise is detected, and even
• control which zones or rooms have active intruder alarms.

All from the palm of your hand.

Smart security systems give you greater peace of mind, as you can be assured that you are always in control, even if you're not on site. This can be especially useful for businesses who have staff working remotely or during unusual hours.

How Do Smart Business Security Systems Work?

Just like home security systems! You can monitor and control your wired or wireless Smart Security System from anywhere in the world.

All you need is a mobile device with the app for that alarm system and a secure internet connection.

Smart security systems have all the same components as a regular security system. But they connect to a secure cloud server.

For small businesses OR larger companies with multiple locations.

So long as you have a secure Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, you can:

• set the alarm for specific rooms or zones
• adjust any settings;
• set the alarm for the entire building;
• unset the alarm; and
• receive notifications to your device in real time.

If one of the alarm's sensors is triggered, a message is sent to the secure cloud. And then it takes just seconds to forward that notification to your smart device.

Business Sites Without Professional Monitoring

When you have been alerted to an activation, you can switch to the footage from your CCTV system. And check out whether it is a real intruder or a false alarm.

Then you can call the Police or your keyholders. Having said that, do you really want Mary from Accounts having to confront a burglar because you didn't invest in a security system? Come to that, do you, as the business owner, want to come face to face with an intruder?

Sometimes it's better to call in professional security personnel. Speak to us about our Keyholding and Emergency Response Service.

Remote Monitoring For West Midlands Businesses

Smart business owners with smart security systems can also invest in smart monitoring for intruder detection.

MAC Security Systems has its own Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). It is fully accredited and operates within the strict guidelines of ISO 9001:2000 as well as BS 5979. By using versatile Sentinel Plus and Immix Systems we can monitor Intruder Alarms, Fire Alarms and CCTV devices with care and responsibility

Our remote monitoring centre is manned by highly trained operatives 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

For a small monthly monitoring fee, your security system can get someone else to do the difficult bit...

Just like a smart security system, the ARC is notified through the secure cloud. Then an operator will use their remote access to assess whether the alarm is false or whether action needs to be taken.

False Alarms

Most Alarm Receiving Centres now have modern video monitoring systems. These use artificial intelligence to recognise whether there is an intruder on your premises. Or if it's just a tarpaulin flapping about near the camera.

Confirmed Intruder Detection

If the indoor or outdoor cameras detect an intruder, the operator can use a loudspeaker system to warn them that the Police are on their way. This usually makes thieves run away.

Professional monitoring can be a more cost effective solution than hiring a manguarding team. But some small to medium businesses prefer to hire a regular security team. Often they can get there more quickly than waiting for the emergency services.

Keyholding and Emergency Response For Business Security

Our ARC can monitor your CCTV systems and alert our Keyholding and Emergency Response teams if there is an activation.

There's no need for you or your team to get out of bed and tackle a burglar in the dark.

And, because our security teams are local to the West Midlands, we'll get there fast - not like some of the national companies who will have to send operatives from outside the area.

KEEPING YOUR WEST MIDLANDS BUSINESS SECURE WITH SMART SECURITY SYSTEMS

Industrial Units in Stourbridge

MAC Security has worked with a number of industrial units in the West Midlands. Including the installation of a fully monitored business alarm system for Rushworth, a fabrication engineer. And the same for Dustair, an environmental consultant. Both these businesses are based at units on industrial estates in Stourbridge.

Cradley Heath Factory

MAC Security is happy to take over an existing system. In this case, we were asked to take over the monitoring and maintenance for both the Fire Alarm and Intruder Alarm. For two large units belonging to a Cradley Heath wardrobe manufacturer.

Retail Store in Northfield

When lockdown restrictions were lifted, we installed an intruder alarm, CCTV and fire alarm for CT Furniture's new shop in Northfield.

Access Control in West Midlands Schools

Two recent school projects were for access control. One in Winsom Green and another in Hagley, Worcestershire.

One was an existing customer where we have been looking after the CCTV, Fire Alarm, Gates and Barriers for the last six years. We were asked to add locking access control doors to an existing PAC system.

The other school asked us to provide options for security solutions so that only school staff could come in through the gates during school hours. We installed an ANPR camera for vehicle licence plate recognition. It was fitted onto the main gate and linked to the existing Paxton access control software.

Video Surveillance for Storage Unit in Small Heath, Birmingham

The MAC team were asked to help with security solutions for a storage yard where customers rent containers to store their goods. The team installed a fully monitored Dahua CCTV system complete with a horn speaker system. If anyone should break in, the operatives at our Alarm Receiving Centre will see them. And they can also communicate with them that security is on its way.

Business Security for a Coventry Car Showroom, Forecourt and Garages

Our team also installed multiple security systems for a well-known car showroom in Coventry. CCTV cameras and intruder alarm with professional monitoring that works with the schedules of their in-house personnel.

Void and Vacant Properties

Our ARC monitors CCTV and alarm systems for a number of void and vacant properties in the West Midlands.

Manufacturers in Dudley

We also installed LED Lighting for a Roller Shutter manufacturer in Dudley. The work was carried out on a Sunday so the client's business was not affected and manufacturing did not have to stop.

MAC use always use the best security cameras to fit the unique situations of our customers.

All your security systems will be smart. So you can still set and unset your intruder alarm or view your CCTV footage on your phone. Even if you choose to have your professional monitoring of your business security systems.

FREE SECURITY ASSESSMENT

How secure is your West Midlands business? Would you benefit from a free security assessment from one of the MAC Security team?

We are SSAIB accredited so you can be sure that you are getting a professional installation.

And we'll work with you to find the best security system for your budget and your unique situation.

Smart business security systems are a great investment for your West Midlands business and we highly recommend considering one for your company!

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