How to tackle the problem of unauthorised parking

With an ever increasing number of vehicles on the road, the problem of parking, particularly in inner city areas, has begun to reach boiling point with thousands of land owners becoming increasingly frustrated by vehicles illegally parking on their land, obstructing their day to day activities.

However, this issue which is affecting businesses and landowners nationwide is not something that can be handled by the police, as it is a civil matter rather than a legal one. While in the past land owners were able to use clamping as a deterrent, this is no longer allowed, with The Protection Of Freedoms Act (2012) making it an offence to clamp a vehicle in England or Wales. So with this in mind, what alternatives are still available to businesses to tackle the issue of unauthorised parking on their property?

Barriers
One way to limit access to your site is to use barriers. Automatic barriers, height restrictor barriers and manual barriers all act as effective solutions for limiting access to vehicles or particular types of vehicles. They can be operated either manually – remaining up in business hours and locked down in the evening, or automatically - with access granted via CCTV, proximity cards, a key pad or tokens.

Gates
One of the most effective ways to limit access to a site is to install gates, a particularly effective choice if you are aiming to lock down a specific area such as a staff car park. Having unauthorised cars using up your employees’ parking spaces, or spaces reserved for clients and guests can be infuriating and cause real problems for your business, so gates, bollards and barriers are all good options. Read more about our swing gates, sliding gates and bi-folding gates.

Bollards
If you require a simple but effective solution for dealing with unauthorised access then bollards are a good option. Bollards are particularly effective if you are looking to prevent unwanted parking but also preserve the view of your business site. For example a car showroom might want to retain the views of their property for passing traffic so may opt for a bollard system rather than high fences which obstruct the view of the cars on their lot. Our GA7276H automatic bollards have been built for optimum performance and intensively tested to ensure reliability for over 3000 movements per day. In the event of an emergency or power failure they can be lowered manually and can also be operated simultaneously. Click here to read more about our GA7276H Automatic Bollards.

Gateway Automation provide a range products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please call us on 01522 682255.

Keeping your business safe at night

For many employees, once their shift is over their responsibilities at work end and they don’t think about it again until the following day. However, that luxury is something that owners of a business are not lucky enough to enjoy. Owners and managers of businesses spend many nights in constant worry over the potential threats that their company face from crimes such as arson, burglary and theft and vandalism. Here we will look at some of the ways you can protect your business from these threats while your building is vacant.

Arson

A serious fire has to be up there with the most damaging incidents that can happen to a business. Fires can cause damage to your buildings, furnishings and structure as well as stock, equipment and even your personnel. To protect against the risk of arson businesses should be sure to strengthen entrance and exit points such as windows and doors to restrict access to the property, as well as tough gates and high walls or fencing. Businesses should also develop a routine before closing down for the night whereby they check for any flammable materials or liquids lying around on site that could be used by arsonists to ignite a fire, such as by padlocking waste bins.

Burglary

Another serious threat to businesses in the night time is burglary. Businesses are naturally a massive target for criminals but with a comprehensive security strategy it is easy to mitigate the risks. Some common mistakes include poor lighting – allowing criminals to go undetected, failure to lock down important areas or assets, failing to prevent unwanted vehicles from arriving on your property, a lack of physical deterrents and securing a property with physical keys instead of electronic access control equipment.

Theft

While theft of assets can come from external criminals unknown to your business, crime can quite equally come from employees. While you can monitor the movements of your employees during the day, at night it may be more difficult. To avoid the risk of your employees stealing from you in the night, or handing your keys to a criminal to do so, you should limit access to valuable goods with cages or safes and consider biometric access control equipment to lock down high value areas.

Vandalism

Vandalism has a big impact on a business. Not only does petty vandalism affect the corporate image of your premises but it can also draw finances away from planned expansion or development within your business. The cost of replacing broken windows or removing graffiti is rarely budgeted for and will often leave a business out of pocket. A combination of deterrents such as anti-vandal grease, strong gates and fencing and motion censored lighting can help to deter opportunistic vandals determined to do damage to your business premises.

Gateway Automation provide a range products to help businesses and individuals to secure their sites and also provide nationwide servicing and repairs to gates, barriers and other perimeter security equipment. To find out more, please call us on 01522 682255.