5 Ways Burglars Can Enter Your Establishment

What are ways that burglars can enter an establishment?

1. Front Doors
2. Rear Doors
3. Windows
4. Skylights
5. Parking Basements

The aftermath of a burglary is messy and expensive — there’s stolen valuables and damaged property to deal with, and the possibility of closing your business for investigation and repairs. Many business and building owners want to avoid this event as much as possible. To do so, we recommend reading up on possible vulnerabilities that thieves often take advantage of. In this article, we share the different ways that burglars can enter an establishment so that you can take the necessary steps to protect your building.

The chances of your business potentially becoming a target for criminal activity are high enough to take heed. Although larger businesses and retail establishments may be less vulnerable to burglary, every building is at risk of theft.

Front Doors

Some people think that burglars would never be so brazen as to walk through the front doors of the establishment they plan to rob. However, this is one of the most common ways that they gain access to your building. Seasoned thieves know exactly how to walk through your front doors without raising suspicions.

Others might take a more aggressive approach. They could pick your front door after closing time, or even smash through your doors to gain access to the inside handle. While this is riskier, some burglars choose to use this smash-and-grab operation and leave with whatever they can quickly get their hands on.

This is even easier to do when you lack door and access control systems. Without this technology, suspicious persons could blend in with the crowd and enter without any of your people noticing them. So, knowing how to improve your door security is key to preventing this situation from happening.

Here are some methods to deter burglars from breaking in through your front door:

• Install double-cylinder dead-bolt locks on glass-paneled doors.
• Move merchandise away from entryways.
• Use solid doors that can withstand a few minutes of impact and damage.
• Install security systems that give your building access control, visitor control, security cameras, and other measures.

Rear Doors

Although the front door is more commonly used, burglars will test every possible way to get inside. Entering through the rear doors is also a common technique. They tend to be lower in traffic, and therefore are often less monitored. While these entryways are usually intended for employee access only, it will be hard to reinforce that without the proper security measures in place.

It is important that whatever security solutions you use for your front door will also be applied to your rear doors. Don’t neglect a door because you don’t use it often, because a burglar can take advantage of any unguarded entryway.

Windows

Your doors may be secure, but a burglar can still use another point of entry — your windows. Any unlocked, old, and weak frames are a thief’s best friend. Without a lock, they’re easy to force open. Otherwise, they could also easily break the glass just to get in. You might think the noise of breaking glass would catch the attention of your employees or passersby, but most people will ignore it if they only hear it once. Furthermore, it is easier to hide if there is thick vegetation near these windows.

Some ways you can increase the security around your windows are:

• Install see-through fences, thorny shrubs, or barbed wires to make it more difficult to access your ground floor windows.
• Replace any old or damaged windows.
• Secure your windows with locks and double-glazed glass panels.
• Install adequate lighting near every window.
• Implement security measures, such as CCTV and alarm systems.

Skylights

You might think that skylights pose less of a threat — they’re on your roof, so they’re much harder to access. However, any experienced burglar might attempt to use this entryway as they are less likely to run into anyone on a building’s top floors.

As with any window, the security of your skylights would be increased if you take some precautionary steps. You could install sturdy glass panes and locks to deter burglars from forcing your skylight open. You could also install cameras and an alarm system that activates based on certain events — such as if the frames are forced open, or if they detect movement at night. A burglar casing your building will spot these devices and will be discouraged from breaking in.

Parking Basements

Parking lots and basements connected to your building can allow a burglar to commit a crime. Without a robust security system, any car can access your parking, and people can easily make their way to an elevator or staircase that leads inside your building. These criminals can even commit a crime without leaving your parking area. They could look for vehicles to break into or steal, and quickly leave.

Your parking and basement floors shouldn’t be a dangerous area. Many types of businesses benefit from installing the right vehicle access control systems. When you use one, you not only control the flow of parking for employees, residents, and guests, but you also keep a detailed log of vehicles that enter and exit. This helps in keeping unauthorized people away from your parking and deterring any incidents that could happen.

Key Takeaway

There are many ways that burglars can enter your establishment. The only way to truly protect your assets is to take steps to improve your security. In many cases, that means your building needs to install and maintain a comprehensive security solution. By doing so, you can scare away many would-be burglars from entering your establishment. Additionally, these measures would also make investigation and damage control much easier should a crime occur.

To find the best solution for your establishment, work with a trusted tech manufacturer, like ELID. With ELID, you gain access to state-of-the-art security solutions that are scalable, efficient, and highly customizable — perfect for your needs. If you’d like more information about our technology and products, send us a message here.