Closed parking lots contain expensive vehicles and valuable contents. This leaves car owners and their passengers particularly vulnerable to becoming the victims of theft, violence and other criminal activities such as vandalism.

In fact, closed parking garages are frequently becoming the favoured “hunting grounds” for thieves and vandals. That’s why business owners who manage their own closed parking lots have a big responsibility when it comes to the safety and security of their customers and employees.

With so many security solutions on the market, how does your business know which one will work best for the specific design of your parking lot? To help, Sonitrol Western Canada has created a list of tips.

How to secure closed parking lots

The threat to people and property in enclosed parking garages is significantly higher than the threat in open lots. That’s because isolated floors often make it difficult to implement effective surveillance and monitoring systems - and criminals find it easier to hide.

That’s why many closed parking lots, which are also known as garages, either control or closely monitor those who access them. Parking attendants are able to monitor car owners entering and leaving, and CCTV cameras are used to record license numbers and the faces of those who enter the premises.

However, this is far from a secure solution. Pedestrian doors that are located out of sight of the parking attendant can still be entered by criminals and traditional CCTV systems generally don’t cover all areas of the parking lot.

This is where a verified security solution that’s designed specifically for the layout of your parking lot will help.

Verified alarms use remote security monitoring to stop criminals in action. Whereas CCTV systems merely monitor a crime while it’s taking place, verified video is live-streamed directly to a remote monitoring station where a security professional is able to verify whether the alarm is a real threat.

Once verified, the security professional will notify the police and give them real-time updates that ensure they can capture the criminal and stop the crime while it’s in progress. This minimizes the damage done to your customers or employees, and ensures the criminal is held accountable.

Other tips to properly secure your closed parking lot include:

• Install adequate lighting to ensure all areas of your enclosed parking lot are well lit, limiting the number of places that criminals can hide.
• Ensure interior and exterior stairwells are visible so that criminals cannot hide. This can be done by installing plexiglass or "see-through" type walls.
• Install emergency call boxes, panic alarms and intercom systems so that your parking garage attendant can help customers/employees in need.

Do you want to learn more about properly securing your closed parking lot? Speak to the Sonitrol Western Canada security experts today. We would love to design a verified security solution that protects your employees or customers from the threat of theft and vandalism.