Home build construction sites face a range of security threats including trespass, vandalism, theft and arson. Learn how mobile CCTV protects these sites.
From theft and vandalism to unauthorised access, home build sites face numerous security risks that could lead to project delays. Find out how Mobile CCTV can be used to secure yours.
The Chartered Institute of Building revealed that 92% of UK home builders experience theft on site. Crimes such as theft, vandalism and arson, all negatively impact your project, causing delays and, at worst, contract loss.
With the UK Government pledging to build 1.5 million new homes, which is 370,000 homes per year, those within residential construction cannot afford security breaches slowing them down.
But with the continued cost of living crisis and construction site theft rising yearly, how can home build sites protect themselves from this?
Security Risks to Home Build Construction Sites
With any successful security plan you need to be aware of the risks that your home build construction site could be faced with. This will ensure you have the best measures in place to prevent them from taking place.
Although every building site is unique and their security needs will differ, generally there are three main challenges your home build site could be faced with:
Theft of Building Materials and Machinery
UK construction site theft costs around £800 million a year in losses, with many facing an uphill battle to prevent their site from becoming the next target of such crime.
Building materials and plant machinery are popular amongst thieves due to their high resale value and lack of equipment tracking.
Theft is the most common crime associated with construction sites, creating large financial losses for construction companies and project delays.
Home build sites often work to tight deadlines and any security breaches can lead to project delays which can prevent individuals from moving into their property on the date specified. This can create reputational damage and financial penalties.
A rise in metal prices has also seen copper theft increase for many construction sites due to the enticing financial gain for criminals.
Due to their ease of access, vast space and various blind spots, home build sites offer a sense of security to thieves that other industries cannot offer.
Unauthorised Access and Trespassing
Unfortunately, construction sites are prime targets for unauthorised access and trespassing due to their often vast space and assumed lack of security.
The danger of unauthorised access and trespassing is the unpredictability of it. Individuals can commit various crimes against your site, all of which could impact the progress of your project.
However, there is also a high chance they endanger themselves in the process of trespassing, and you’ll be surprised to know that you may be held accountable for this.
As site owners or managers, you hold a responsibility to uphold health and safety on your home build site, even to those who trespass.
Unauthorised individuals are unlikely to be aware of your site’s layout, meaning they will likely be at even greater risk of accidents such as slips, trips and falls.
If an individual injures themselves and you are found to have neglected your security, you could face financial and legal repercussions.
Vandalism of Your Construction Site
For some criminals their sole goal will be to create as much damage as possible, whether it be criminal damage, arson or graffiti, all will likely lead your project to be placed on pause whilst they resolve the matter.
Fees can include:
- Clean-up costs
- Replacement fees
- Recovery costs
- Increased insurance premiums
The severity of vandalism can vary depending on the type of crime and impact in which that crime has on your site.
However no matter the damage, your site will be the one that needs to answer to any delays, and you could be left with not only dissatisfied clients, but homeowners too.
The Cost of Construction Crime on Home Build Sites
Construction crime on home build sites can be costly to construction companies, the businesses involved with selling the home builds and those who have purchased or are considering purchasing the property.
All crime tends to create financial impact towards construction companies, whether it be replacing stolen machinery, cleaning any vandalism or covering legal expenses for any injuries that occur on site.
However, the bigger problem tends to lie with project delays. These can cause projects to miss their deadline which creates potential penalties for construction companies, delays for any business selling the properties, and move-in dates pushed back for any individuals who have already paid for them.
Stolen tools and machinery can also have a knock-on effect for construction companies as they may be unable to start their next projects until the stolen goods can be replaced. This leads to lost time and money.
Repeated occurrences of construction crime may lead to increased insurance premiums which will negatively impact the bottom line over the long-term.
How Mobile CCTV Systems Secure Home Build Sites
Highly visible, portable and proactive CCTV systems have been consistently proven to be the most reliable and cost-effective solution for site security.
However, while we recognise the effectiveness of cameras, there are many basic measures home-build construction sites can take to tighten security.
Check out our Ultimate Toolkit for Construction Site Security, which looks at best practices for improving all aspects of security measures. Simple measures you can implement include:
- Installing fencing
- Locking away valuable tools or materials
- Installing temporary lighting
- Track all materials
Although these measures will work to improve your security, it is normally recommended that these are implemented in addition to a mobile CCTV system. There a several reasons for this:
Live Monitors and Records Your Building Site 24/7
Unlike measures such as perimeter fencing and security guards, most mobile CCTV will live monitor and record your home build site 24/7, providing full coverage of the areas you require security for.
An advanced system, offered with all of our products will ensure that live monitoring takes place 24/7 and that recording takes place at all times, not just when events occur. This allows you to review footage back from all points of the day if required.
At WCCTV, we also ensure footage can be accessed remotely by yourself and any specified employees wherever you are, and on any device.
So as a manager, if you’re away on another project or on holiday, you’ll be able to check in and be reassured your site is being monitored as it should be.
Security should provide peace of mind and mobile CCTV with these types of features tend to be the solution for this.
If you’re looking for an additional boost of support, finding a system that has live monitoring backed by remote services offers increased defences to your home build site and places your security in the hands of trusted, trained professionals.
Remote monitoring services will review live footage, assess the risk when motion is detected and respond appropriately if a threat is established.
Provides Visible and Audio Deterrents to Deter Construction Site Crime
Most mobile CCTV will offer some form of visible criminal deterrent as the presence of any cameras can be off putting for criminals, however, this simple presence may not always be enough.
With our CCTV Tower range we understood the importance of both visual and audio deterrents in preventing construction crime.
Standing up to 6 metres in height and painted bright yellow, our Towers create a strong security presence and are unnoticeable. There would be no mistake with any criminal that your site is being watched.
Additionally, we boost our fully-managed security service further and ensure there are powerful audio deterrents also, including sirens and live voice-down audio message capabilities.
This means that the trained security professional that backed our service can communicate live warnings and messages to criminals which is catered to the situation presented. In turn boosting the protection provided to your site.
Expanded Site Coverage, Day-to-Night
Home build sites are often most vulnerable to security risks after dark, particularly with theft and trespassing.
Although perimeter fencing can create a sense of deterrence and security guards can patrol your site, they do not provide advanced day-to-night coverage.
To ensure full coverage at all times of day, mobile CCTV is the best solution. Often fitted with some form of IR camera, most will offer night coverage as well as daytime monitoring, so during those high risk periods, you still have the security you require.
With all of our cameras, including those fitted to our CCTV Towers, we use PTZ IR cameras that provide a near 360 degree coverage and zoom in capabilities.
This technology also ensures monitoring up to 200 metres in the dark, removing the worry for you outside your working hours.
Home builds can also expand over vast spaces, so understanding where is best to have your CCTV system set-up can be complex, especially where there are various blindspots.
At WCCTV, we like to establish the site’s layout early on, even offering site visits to assess what products are best and where their ideal placement would be in order to receive the expanded coverage you require.
Rapid Deployment for Immediate Site Security
Offered by some security companies including ourselves, mobile CCTV systems can be deployed quickly to your home build site and installed in under 30-minutes, providing you with immediate surveillance coverage.
Compared to other measures which are reliant on multiple individuals to set them up, mobile CCTV systems may only require as little as one person to install them, making them one of the more efficient security solutions for home build sites.
Our full CCTV Tower only requires one person to install and this installation can be completed in under 30-minutes, so you’re not waiting around for your site’s protection.
Some of our Towers including the Smart and Thermal Solar Towers can be moved without the need of an engineer. Just one call to ourselves and the detection zone will adjust to the new location, with minimal disruption to you.
Complete Power Autonomy and Cellular Connectivity for Home Builds in Remote Locations
For many home build constructions they will take place in vast, remote locations to fit the requirements of the project. However, with this comes the challenges of having no power or internet on site.
You’d think this would mean that mobile CCTV is not a viable option, but most actually offer complete power autonomy and cellular connectivity.
This makes them the ideal solution for home build sites as it means you still receive all the capabilities of an advanced security system even in the most remote locations.
Why is Mobile CCTV Best for Home Build Site Security?
We are the UK's leading provider of managed CCTV systems for temporary and remote construction sites.
With supplying our own manufactured CCTV Towers, we have witnessed the key benefits of mobile CCTV for home build sites and have designed a service to support the specific challenges they are faced with.
Our fully-managed service goes beyond other services to ensure you get the best surveillance service for your site. Including a site survey, equipment installation, regular maintenance, remote video monitoring, proactive response and monthly reporting.
These additional features and support tools work effectively to deter, detect and deal with the security risks presented to your home build site.
Ready to find out how Rapid Deployment CCTV can work for you? Get in touch today at 0800 470 4630 or request a call back
