Have you gone for an outing and wondered whether you can get a space to park your vehicle? Have you had to leave your car at home because you are not sure you can get a place to park your car?

Thoughts like this are common with car owners, particularly private car owners. These concerns are what have made shopping plaza, hotels, event centres, public and private establishment ensure that there is ample space for car parking.

As a matter of importance, commercial buildings are expected to provide enough spaces for visitor and staffs to park their vehicles. However, other private investors are also into the business of car parking, which is believed to be highly lucrative.

7 Ways to Secure Car Parks and Garages

Like other kinds of ventures, customers and users will have one or two complaints. In the case of car parks and garages, we are going to be sharing some of the carefully analyzed solutions to the common problems highlighted particularly as it concerns security in today’s article.

Our services at Sheriff Deputies also includes securing the parking area of the sites where our services are being deployed.

Here are 7 Ways to Secure a Parking Lots:

1. Educate users

In multinational business premises where a certain area of their parking lots are designated to staffs and others to visitors, users should be must be educated on basic security protocols.

For example, when approaching your vehicle always keep your phone in your pocket so that you can be aware of your immediate environment. Users are supposed to have been informed of who to call if they see anything suspicious.

In addition, it’s safer to walk in a group to your vehicles, understandably this tip is peculiar to the staff’s car park because they close from work at the same time.

2. Use Signage

Signages are very important in car parks, every section of the park should be identifiable, and it will also help users know where their cars are parked.

Having signage at the right places can help warn users about potential dangers. For example, operators or owner of parking space can have signs that will advise drivers to slow down and also indicate when drivers are approaching a sharp curve or a bump.

In the parking space, there should be signage to indicate the use of CCTV systems. Upon parking of vehicles, there should be signs instructing drivers to lock their vehicles and take away valuables from their vehicle. Because criminal elements don’t like to be caught on camera, they can easily peep into your parked vehicle to see if there is something valuable they can steal.

3. Invest in CCTV systems

Surveillance camera should be installed at strategic spots in a car park such that all the camera angles leave little or no blind spot for thieves to explore. The CCTV will dissuade individuals intending to commit crime from doing so.

The camera can also help you identify persons entering your parking facility and alert security personnel on the ground. Criminals become even easier to apprehend or question individual entering the car parks are staff because the security personnel monitoring the camera feeds may identify a stranger. With more intelligence, this solution can also work for general car parks.

4. Improved surveillance system

The job of a security guard is not limited to the entrance or exit points, their services are also required at parking lot/spaces. They take account of the frequency of vehicles and conduct a routine foot patrol in the car parks.

Some criminal might not be interested in car theft because they know they can be caught, but we have found a handful ranging from stealing phones to vandalism and violent assault.

Employing extra security guards for your parking spaces wouldn’t be a bad idea, coupled with the already existing CCTV system, the foot patrol of a security guard in your facility will greatly improve your surveillance system.

They also ensure that vehicle is properly parked such that a vehicle is not preventing or blocking the other from leaving the parking space.

5. Improved Lighting of Parking Space

Poor lighting is bad for parking lot/space, especially if it is underground or in tiers; you will experience darkness even during the day which is a piece of good news for criminals, unlike parking space that is in the open, the only time you experience dark is when is late evenings and night.

As mentions earlier poor lighting is not good, it’s more like an invite for criminals, who can do the things they shouldn’t be much easier in the dark. Investing in better parking lot lighting can reduce the risk of vehicle break-ins and in a long run prevent theft, assault and vandalism of vehicle.

6. Issuance of Pass at the gate

Every vehicle that enters your facility must be accounted for, this is best handled by the security guards at the point of entry, their job is to conduct a routine search vehicle that coming and exiting the facility.

Only vehicle with the facility’s customize pass will be allowed to leave the premises. This model is already in use in most of the sites where Sheriff Deputies Guards services are being deployed.

7. Security Barriers

Parking facilities should have barriers at the entrance and exit points. These barriers can be electronically managed or have a security guard there to manage them.

Some parking facilities are surrounded by high fences or other security structures that are intended to keep out any unwanted access. Gates are also a great way of preventing access during off-hours.

Action Point

Asides from making your visitors and customers safe enough to do business with you, you must also do the best you can to ensure their vehicles are also safe in your car park/lot even though you already have signs that say ‘vehicles at parked at owners risk’ in the open car parks.

Professional security is an expense for your business, but it’s worth considering if you want to create a safer environment.

If you need help or advice in areas such as installing CCTV or hiring professional security guards, contact Sheriff Deputies to speak with an expert about your parking spaces/lot security needs.