How to Get Rid of Loiterers: Remote Monitoring Solutions for Private Property
Prevent loitering, and more, with video remote guarding solutions from Becklar.
Every business owner knows first impressions are everything. Whether you’re managing construction sites, auto dealerships, retail shops, or any type of corporate campus, you want to ensure that loiterers are deterred from gathering on or around your property.
Although the strict definition of loitering may vary by state, generally speaking, loitering involves visiting a private business or public space and remaining there for an extended period without using the space or business as intended. While occupying space at a commercial property is not illegal, it can be distracting and have a negative impact on a business’s operations. It is also often linked to criminal activities such as vandalism and theft.
How Loitering Negatively Affects Businesses
At first glance, loitering on private property might seem like a minor problem. At the very least, it sends a negative message to your customers during business hours—correctly or incorrectly—that your business is poorly managed and possibly struggles with other issues. It can make customers feel uncomfortable approaching your office or unsafe doing business with you resulting in an indirect negative impact on your bottom line.
After hours, loitering can pose even greater harm. Loitering often leads to or attracts unwanted criminal activity ranging from property damage to break-ins and theft, resulting in significant direct costs that negatively impact your profitability.
When researching how to get rid of loiterers, your best bet is to focus on preventive tactics. In other words: Stop the loitering before it starts. Below are several effective strategies.
How to Deter Loiterers
One of your first instincts in your efforts to eliminate loitering on your private property might be to call security or the police each time you spot a loiterer. This, however, may not be as effective as you’d think. Law enforcement often must witness illegal behavior before they can intervene, so while they may sympathize with your situation, they are usually limited in what they can do.
Here’s what you should do instead.
- Post Clear Signage
The Supreme Court ruled that, in order for loitering rules to be enforceable, they must first be clearly stated. This means you must include proper signage stating that loitering on your property is not tolerated. Examples of this include signs that say, “No Trespassing,” “No Loitering,” or “Violators Will Be Prosecuted.”
- Prioritize Exterior Upkeep
Remove trash, scrub away graffiti, fix broken lights, and trim overgrown foliage. If the outside of your business appears to be neglected, this can signal to loiterers—not to mention your customers—that your business has low oversight. Taking the time to maintain your property and the exterior of your building can also help reduce the number of places where people can hide or engage in illegal activity.
- Install Bright Lights
Investing in high-quality lighting can go a long way toward deterring criminal activity. People engaged in illegal activities often want to avoid the spotlight and will purposely seek out businesses with darker exteriors, allowing them to blend into the shadows.
An additional benefit worth noting is that lighting also improves the clarity of video surveillance.
- Control Access Points
Add fences or shrubbery to mark the boundaries of your property clearly. This can act as a deterrent, but it may also help draw attention to anyone hanging out where they shouldn’t. Reducing the number of access points to a handful of entry and exit points can make monitoring your property easier.
- Monitor Employee Activity
It’s not just strangers that you’ll want to pay attention to—loitering may also extend to your employees. Loitering at work is a common yet often overlooked problem for businesses. Ensure you have clear employee guidelines that limit loitering before and after work.
- Set Up Video Surveillance
Another option for how to get rid of loiterers, one of the most effective preventive measures you can take is to install high-quality video surveillance equipment. No one wants to hang around a place where they know they’re being watched and recorded. The very presence of cameras can help reduce loitering, theft, and vandalism. Plus, video surveillance can be used to verify an alarm signal and reduce false alarm dispatches.
All of the above can help with reducing loitering. However, the most effective solution for eliminating loiterers and ultimately, costly property damage and theft, is Video Remote Guarding.
Video Remote Guarding: A Smart Way to Prevent Loitering
The next generation of video surveillance is video remote guarding—an interactive video surveillance system that engages with loiterers and potential criminals in real time to proactively eliminate risk. Video Remote Guarding is ideal for businesses looking for the peace of mind that comes with an in-house security team without the expense of employing on-site security personnel. These remote guards not only see potential concerning behavior but are able to engage verbally with trespassers in real time and talk them down. Basically, they are able to prevent loitering and criminal activity before it happens.
How it works:
- Step 1: When unusual behavior is detected, including loitering, an alarm signal is immediately sent to a live remote guard at the monitoring center.
- Step 2: The remote guard can issue a live verbal warning to the trespasser to vacate the property.
- Step 3: They will also If the trespasser does not respond to the warning, the applicable authorities are quickly dispatched.
Yield 4 Times RMR
Remote guarding can yield 4 times the RMR of traditional security solutions.
Choose Becklar Video Remote Guarding
As an established leader in the field of security technology, Becklar has been providing professional monitoring services for over 40 years. Becklar’s security and safety solutions can be customized to fit the needs of a variety of industries, including:
- Construction sites
- Car Dealerships
- Logistics & Warehousing
- Retail Centers
- Apartment Complexes
- Parking Lots
- Office Buildings & Campuses
- And more
For years, security dealers and organizations have relied on reactive systems: alarms that trigger after a break-in, or cameras that capture what’s already happened. Today, customers expect more. They want verification, response, and deterrence, all in real time. They get that with Becklar Video Remote Guarding.
Prevent loitering, and more, with video remote guarding solutions from Becklar. Contact us today to learn more.