Managing Access: Ensuring Restricted Areas are kept that way

In our minds, offices generally feel like safe places. They’re productive spaces in which we work and interact while enduring the rigours and stress of business; so it makes sense that we would like them to be free from additional uncertainties such as crime.

Crime is essentially a human element, and to prevent criminals from accessing office buildings there are three key security areas to focus on:

1. Risk Reduction: The first way in which to keep a restricted area off limits is to ensure that every possible precaution is taken to eliminate potential risks. Professional security services are responsible for analysing the geographical area in which the office buildings are situated; keeping up to date with crime statistics and applying security measures that would discourage attempts at perimeter breaches. Additionally, operational teams should ideally work with local police as well as Business Against Crime to share information which benefits the greater corporate community.

2. Effective Perimeter Security: Quite often people tend to think that once a fence is up, or a wall is constructed, that a property is secure. Yes, generally a high fence, razor wire and electrification are good deterrents, but to be truly effective they have to be properly maintained. It is typically only after an intrusion that police will discover cut fencing, or a faulty electrical circuit; which points out the obvious need for continual perimeter monitoring and maintenance. Using a security service that prioritises maintenance and trains staff on the optimum benefits of electric fences is vital for keeping a property border secure.

A professional security service provider will also focus on training staff to analyse risks. For example, a simple thing like noticing a ladder leaning inconspicuously against an office wall should trigger an alert, as the ladder could be there to assist with getting over a high wall or fence. Vegetation and flora should at all times be maintained to prevent overhanging branches facilitating access, and / or overgrowth restricting vision.

3. Access and Egress Control: In most modern business parks, security services are used to implement access and egress strategies. Knowing who is coming in and out of office parks, and recognising the risks with the variety of clients, service providers, employees and vendors is crucial. There is no point having an impenetrable perimeter if criminals can drive straight through the front gate, and as such security booms have to be functioning properly and manned by well-trained staff at all times. Prescribed documentation for access control should be consistently and accurately kept at all times. The immediate report of a defective security mechanism and its swift repair is essential.

Managing access to the office in a strict and ordered fashion is extremely important in contemporary times. Using a company like Servest Security who tackle office security from every possible angle leaves a comfortable space in which your staff can simply focus on working productively.