Proactive Security: removals businesses, connected and protected! 

In the second of its Proactive Security series, DSOC explains why effective security for removals and storage businesses requires a co-ordinated and connecting monitoring centre, linking the  intruder alarm, fire alarm, CCTV, access control and monitoring service.

Walk into many removals businesses and you’ll often find several good security systems working independently. An intruder alarm protects the building, CCTV records activity around the site and a fire alarm is connected for life safety and insurance purposes. Each system performs its own role, but they rarely communicate with one another. 

The reality is that one of the simplest and most effective improvements you can make is to bring these systems together under a single monitoring strategy. If your intruder alarm and fire alarm are already connected to a professional monitoring centre, you’re well on the way to creating a far more proactive security solution. 

A straightforward enhancement is to use the setting of the intruder alarm as the trigger for external CCTV monitoring. When the last member of staff leaves and the alarm is set, the monitoring centre automatically knows the site should be empty. External CCTV analytics can then become active, monitoring areas such as vehicle parking, loading bays, warehouse entrances, perimeter fences and staff entrances. 

If someone enters the site, climbs a fence or begins walking around parked vehicles, an alarm is generated immediately. Rather than reviewing footage after a theft has taken place, trained operators can assess the live images, issue an audio warning where available, contact keyholders or request a police response where appropriate. 

For removals businesses, this approach protects far more than just the warehouse. 

Many companies have hundreds of thousands of pounds invested in removal vehicles, trailers, fuel, handling equipment and customer goods parked outside overnight. These assets are often more exposed than the building itself, making proactive external monitoring an invaluable additional layer of protection. 

An increasing number of businesses also operate both self storage and removals services from the same location. For these sites, the benefits are even greater. Rather than managing separate security arrangements for different parts of the business, intruder alarms, fire alarm signalling, CCTV, access control and out-of-hours support can all be coordinated through one professional monitoring centre. 

This creates a single point of contact for every security-related event, making incident management simpler, faster and more effective. 

Case studies

A great example of this is Squab Group’s headquarters in Leamington Spa. Operating both removals and self storage services from one site, Squab has integrated its security systems with remote monitoring. Working alongside the company’s existing system suppliers and installers, the monitoring solution provides coordinated protection across the entire facility, demonstrating that different technologies and providers can work seamlessly together when connected through a professional centre. 

Another simple service worth considering is out-of-hours call support. 

Many monitoring centres can provide your business with a dedicated telephone number for staff who need to access the premises outside normal working hours. Before attending site, the employee simply contacts the monitoring centre. Operators know who is expected, can monitor the site while they are there and remain available should any concerns arise. Once the visit is complete, the employee calls back to confirm they have left safely and the site returns to its normal monitored status. 

This not only strengthens security but also provides reassurance for lone workers attending sites during evenings, weekends or bank holidays. 

Proactive security doesn’t always require major investment or the latest technology. Often, the biggest improvement comes from making the systems you already own work together. 

By linking your intruder alarm, fire alarm, CCTV, access control and monitoring service into one coordinated solution, you create multiple layers of protection that help safeguard your people, your premises and your vehicles, often with very little additional infrastructure. 

Keep reading the Proactive Security series for more practical, real world advice on improving security through simple, effective solutions that deliver genuine operational benefits. 

Click here to view this and other related articles in the magazine