Construction Site Theft around the Washington DC, Metro area is a rising concern. With the downturn in the economy 2011 has seed a significant rise in construction site theft. Headlines like the one below are becoming all too common place.
“S&N Communications Theft, 309 Lansdowne Rd, May 23 11 a.m. – May 24 7:30 a.m. A site superintendent reported that a large quantity of copper wire was stolen from in and around a storage trailer. No suspects or witnesses at this time.” from http://fredericksburg.patch.com
Since 2003, the price of copper has gone from around 70 cents to about $4 per pound. Theft of the metal has become a rising concern across the Washington DC, Virginia Metro Area. Some copper cable manufacturers have taken technological steps to identify their copper wire such as etching copper with a unique code, which prosecutors can use as the equivalent of fingerprints to identify the stolen property. But identifying measures only aid after the crime has been committed and indeed only if the perpetrators are caught. In such a case the man hours, lost time and enumerable costs to contractors, services and resources have already damaged the bottom line for contractors or businesses seeking to keep their margins in line with the market.maintain profits.
Next Generation Security Concepts has recognized that this rising problem is best addressed by preventative security measures. Prevention by an active and visible security presence can save thousands to tens of thousands of dollars and lost man hours. Construction sites are dynamic environments and each have individual security concerns that we can address. Many of today’s large-scale construction projects have a life span that makes the addition of technological construction site security an absolute necessity. Security issues extend far beyond simple theft, contractor fraud can account for a large portion of contractor and business loss’ as well. In addition to theft when Next Generation Security talked with one of our large-scale government construction managers the need to track sub contractor reliability and fraud was a real concern to him as well. He stated “If I have a video surveillance of how many truck loads have been brought in vs. what I have been billed for then I know which contractors are reliable and which are actually comiting fraud.” A video surveillance system can address this as well as offer real-time project management to a construction site. Being able to visually verify contractor actions as well as aspects of site completion without the need of a physical site visit are valuable tools for today’s general contractors.
The cost benefit for the construction trade could be huge as the actual cost of theft is difficult to pin down in terms of the actual losses that mount across, rescheduling, redirecting, ordering new resources, insurance, labor and manpower affect the bottom line on many levels. What’s the best approach? Well highly visible systems, posted and high-profile active video surveillance and perimeter security are very discouraging to would be thieves. Construction sites and renovation are the low hanging fruit for the opportunist thieves.
Next Generation is taking an active role in helping our customers design systems that save construction costs by using integrating a technological security design from the outset of the project. Frequently Next Generation is also contracting to install the security measures for the completed construction as well, so this is quite a good relationship. Securing the construction site along with the finished project provides a seamless way for our customers to protect their interests and save costs straight through completion.
Want to find out how Next Generation Security Concepts can secure your site?
Next Generation can help your business or institution:
- Develop an active means of proactive protection
- Assess the areas of risk
- Identify physical and electronic security gaps
- Secure Assets
- Protect from fraud
- Manage personnel and site access
- Provide accountability solutions
- Provide for real-time site intelligence and monitoring
