Keeping an Empty Office Secure

There may be a time, such as during building work or in the process of a change of office, when your office could be left empty for some time. Even over the Christmas break, your office may be a target for burglars who will know that the site will be left vacant. Offices can contain lots of expensive equipment, so it’s absolutely essential that you do your best to look after the space and keep it safe during empty periods.

Firstly, you need to make sure you have a good security system in place, including top quality CCTV cameras. There is no point in having CCTV cameras if they’re not going to help the police identify trespassers or burglars, so go for the best you can afford, ideally including night vision. A security expert will be able to help you find the best locations and angles for these cameras to focus on the most important areas.

If you have a lot of vehicle entrances, make sure these are blocked off if you’ll be out of the building for some time. A barrier system placed across the driveways or vehicle routes will ensure nobody is able to drive through and cause any security risks. If you have a gated entrance, make sure you have informed the person manning it that you are not expecting any visitors and that anyone claiming to be there as your guest should be denied entrance.

Unfortunately, burglars are always coming up with new tactics and methods to gain unauthorised entry to your office, so you need to be prepared for this eventuality. Set up a good alarm system which you set after everyone has exited the building, and use a ‘smart water’ system to mark all your expensive electrical equipment so that it can be identified by the police if they find it elsewhere.

Most offices have their own security guards, so if you’re on a site with other offices, find out if your site guard can check up on your office from time to time to make sure everything is in order. This way, if anything has happened in your absence, you will know as soon as possible.

Also, to use a classic holiday trick, you could set the office lights on timers to make it look like there are people inside. Likewise, you could even play a track of ambient office sounds and voices so that anyone walking past would assume the building is occupied, making it less likely to be targeted by burglars or trespassers.


About the Guest Author:
Claire Fishwick is a site security consultant who advises landowners and developers on the most effective means to secure vacant land