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[show]Homeless encampments on or around your property can be a challenging and sensitive security issue.
There are several social and economic factors that create homelessness, and providing a security response that is proportionate to the challenges your business faces can be hard to figure out.
But, with encampments can come issues such as loitering, panhandling, and substance usage that can detract from customer experience and staff safety.
In some cases, homelessness issues around a business or property can correlate with an increase in issues of theft and vandalism.
Below, we have outlined some key advice if you are facing security challenges related to homelessness.
We also outline how deploying surveillance units to a property can help safeguard against a range of security and safety challenges.
Loitering on your property can create an environment that feels both hostile and unsafe, and it can be hard to handle the problem quickly.
Failure to deal with loitering will:
Damage the reputation of your business
Discourage staff from wanting to work at your premises
Cause your clientele to seek alternative businesses with a safer environment
Failure to tackle these issues will create a trickle down effect of loss of custom, loss of revenue, and increasing problems as your property becomes a place associated with homeless encampments.
There are a few things as business owners that you can implement to stop homeless people loitering or panhandling on your property:
Put up signs stating that loitering is prohibited and that people who break this rule will be subject to law enforcement.
Avoid provoking homeless people
Avoid giving panhandlers money or goods; this will attract more to business, however, to help them donate to food banks or non-profit organizations.
Lock any dumpsters, storage areas, or exterior outbuildings.
Keep your property illuminated at night.
Make sure any parking areas are adequately secured.
It is challenging to remove homeless people from the property and keep your employees out of the situation to avoid conflict.
This could result in financial liability for your business. Instead, contact law enforcement as they are equipped to handle these situations and can safely take the person(s) elsewhere.
This is where installing a mobile surveillance unit, like a LotGuard Solar Surveillance Trailer, comes into play; as a business, you can monitor your property remotely for any loiterers and quickly deal with the situation by alerting the authorities to the property.
LotGuard has been specifically design to increase safety, security, and situational awareness around properties and parking lots.
Our surveillance technology is backed by a team of security professionals who remotely monitor cameras 24/7 for criminal activity.
They are a virtual security guard, with the added advantage of awake, always on guard, and available at a fraction of the cost of human guards.
Our cameras allow for immediate, proactive crime prevention. If a criminal event is detected, our security team immediately review the footage to verify the alarm, then take appropriate action to deter a loiterer or a more serious crime in action, and call law enforcement if necessary.
Another feature of LotGuard is the voice-down with a blue light feature, which can automatically or manually talk to people on your property through the speakers asking them to leave or warn them that law enforcement has been dispatched.
Installing LotGuard outside your business is a great way to deter homeless people from loitering on your property and reduce crime in general.
LotGuard surveillance units are a powerful visual deterrent. If someone sees the 20ft mobile surveillance trailer with up to 4 pole cameras fitted monitoring the area around your property, they will be less likely to camp out there and cause any issues.
It can be installed in minutes, providing immediate security for property and parking lots. It’s fully portable, too, so move it to a new location if your needs change.
With LotGuard, it is entirely self-sufficient - you don’t need to provide mounting poles for the surveillance cameras, and there’s no need for onsite power or internet connectivity.
LotGuard can be provided with a customized camera profile to ensure your property is fully secured with no compromises.
The security experts at LotGuard will be happy to help you select the most appropriate system for your property needs to ensure homelessness does not cost your business.
Daniel del Soldato
Head of Communications
Daniel has been at Wireless CCTV over 10 years and has accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge when it comes to CCTV products and the way they operate. In his spare time Daniel likes to listen to music, watch football and spend quality time with his family.
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