Securing your Property during Protests and Demonstrations
It seems like it’s impossible to turn on the TV these days without seeing a protest or demonstration taking place. While the vast majority of these gatherings are peaceful, some are not. In addition, it often doesn’t take much for a peaceful protest to turn dangerous. Large groups of people are unpredictable and even a small number of people can take a situation from “under control” to “chaotic” with little notice.
That’s why it’s important that business owners take steps to ensure that their properties are secured. Theft and property damage caused by large public protests can be very costly to a business. The damaged caused can result in long insurance claim processes, force businesses to shut down during repairs, and much more.
Understanding Civil Demonstrations
In order to protect your property during protests and other demonstrations, it’s important to learn a little bit about them.
One thing to keep in mind is that many large demonstrations develop, grow and take place very quickly and without much notice. A lot of demonstrations happen as a reaction to current events. Therefore, it’s often difficult to know when one will take place, where it will happen and what will occur when it does.
Many of the crimes that take place during demonstrations, protests and moments of civil unrest are not pre-planned. In a majority of cases, they happen spontaneously. A peaceful protest can turn violent, disruptive and possibly dangerous if even a small group of people within the protest decide to break the law. In other cases, a group of people determined to cause trouble can use the protest as a “cover” to do so. They then “disappear” into the protest to avoid being caught.
For this reason, it’s crucial that you prepare yourself and your business before any potential issues take place. By the time you realize that something potentially dangerous is taking place, it could be too late protect your business if you’re not prepared.
Using Physical Security
In most cases, the crimes that happen during moments of civil unrest are quick bursts of violence. For example, protestors or rioters may start breaking windows, throwing debris, vandalizing property, etc.
In order to protect your property from these types of crimes, physical security is a must. As mentioned, protests and demonstrations often form quickly. This can overwhelm police officers and security guards who may be caught off guard by the sudden developments. This means that they may not be able to control the crowd and they likely won’t be able to respond to alarms that are activated due to break-ins or other such crimes.
In addition, the large size of many demonstrations allows people to blend in with the group. This makes capturing them and identifying them on video surveillance quite difficult.
In these cases, physical security can keep your property safe. By installing security gates on doors and windows, you protect these areas from being damaged by protestors. You also prevent “smash and grab” robberies that often take place during such events. Physical security gates place a barrier between your property and those who wish to harm it.
Many business owners worry about how security gates will affect the appearance of their property. The good news is that modern gates can be rolled back or folded out of the way. This means that you can maintain the appearance of your business during operating hours while still protecting it when needed. Gates can also be opened and closed very quickly, making them the perfect choice for moments of civil unrest.
We have some more helpful tips to improving the security of your business. Download our helpful guide to Improving Your Security Mindset.
