Despite the brief glimpse of summer earlier this month, the winter weather has come back with a vengeance! Across the country, we have seen more than just a few flurries of snow, with blizzards that bought heavy snowfall to many of us. Whilst a light dusting of snow could encourage criminals to stay inside in the warm, if the snow gets heavier, there’s an increased risk of security to your business…

Have you ever noticed that when you stand outside in a snowy winter wonderland in the dead of night, all sounds feel muffled? That’s because snow can absorb as much as 60% of sound! To those thinking of breaking and entering, that’s music to their ears! (No pun intended!).

At Carter Security, we understand that the risk of muffled sound and the obvious risk of reduced visibility during snow storms can greatly affect the security of your business. There are more reasons to be extra cautious during snowy weather too:

• Snow affects the visibility of your CCTV
• Impacted snow drifts could provide easy access over your perimeter fencing
• Snow could lead to flooding and water damage, making access to your building(s) easier
• Poor driving conditions could encourage staff to work from home, leaving your buildings empty for extended periods of time

Our advice to business owners would be to ensure that –

• Your outside areas well lit

Not only is adequate lighting a good deterrent to crime, but it will also assist our security officers when patrolling. Therefore, we would encourage all businesses, including our clients, to leave outside lights on as more than just a security precaution - it will help to keep our security officers safe during the bad weather, and it will act as a great deterrent to opportunistic criminals.

• Consider thermal identification cameras

Thermal camera light up red and yellow to any heat source that comes into view. This means clearly displaying if someone is trespassing on your property, even if visibility outside is poor. These are an excellent alternative or addition to regular CCTV cameras which are much less effective when visibility is poor.

For more information on how we can work with you to provide a quality security service at your business, please don't hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team.