The holiday season is a wonderful time to celebrate with family gatherings and beautiful decorations. Although the holiday season is a happy time of the year, it often also results in an increase of crime. It’s important to protect homes and communities during this time of the year from all potential threats. Here are some of the potential risks that gated communities face during the holiday season and how to combat them.
Potential Threats
Theft
One of the most common concerns during the holiday season is theft. In this day and age, most people order at least some of their holiday gifts online. Although this method makes shopping more convenient, it leaves packages sitting on your doorstep. During the holiday season, it is more common for packages to disappear off of your front porch. It’s important to take proper security measures to protect your packages from theft.
Trespassing
The holiday season is a wonderful time to visit family and old friends. These visits often lead to empty homes, sometimes for days on end. When homes are left empty for extended periods of time, they are vulnerable to trespassing and break ins. Thieves often take note of which houses are frequently empty during the holiday season and use them as targets. When your home is empty, it is vulnerable to trespassing, break ins, and even destruction of your property.
Vandalism
It’s fairly common to put up lights, garland, and other decorations during the holiday season. Although these decorations will make your home beautiful and festive, they can also turn your home into a target for vandalism. During the holidays, teenagers especially will often steal and destroy Christmas decorations. If homes in your community are not protected, they are left vulnerable to this sort of vandalism.
Solutions
Security Officers
Often times, gated communities post security officers at the gates. In some cases, security officers even patrol the communities. When a trained security officer is present in a gated community, they will be able to catch criminals in the act and stop them. The presence of these security officers will also deter potential criminals from committing offences out of fear of being caught.
Access Control
Access control can be very useful in gated communities. It can increase the efficiency of entry while ensuring that only those who live in the community can enter. During the holiday season when potential thieves and trespassers attempt to enter gated communities, access control can help to keep these people out and keep the community safe.
Surveillance Systems
Surveillance systems are a great way to monitor gated communities for suspicious activity. They can help security personnel keep an eye on the property and stop any criminals before a crime takes place. Additionally, in the event that a crime cannot be stopped, surveillance systems can provide useful evidence for the police to ensure that the criminal is caught.
USI Security | CT Security Solutions
For the past 25 years, USI has created safe, secure environments for commercial and government employees and customers by investing in our people, innovation and relationships. As engaged, owner-operators, our investment begins with recruitment and screening to ensure we have the right people and continues through our policies and practices that enable USI to properly train and retain the best personnel.
USI is engaged in supporting your security and business by developing customized security solutions that support your business objectives while cost-effectively minimizing risk. Clients receive continuous support from a highly responsive team of professionals including owners, management, field supervisors and officers. Our commitment to quality includes field inspections and audits, as well as investments in innovative solutions for continuous training and compliance.
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