Car theft is becoming increasingly common across Western Canada and is even being linked in recent years to organized crime. It’s not just individuals that are being targeted either, automotive dealerships are falling victim to car theft.

Are you worried about the possibility of a dealership breach? Then it’s time you take the right precautions to keep your staff safe, ensure the data in your office is protected and prevent your high-value assets from being stolen.

To help, Sonitrol Western Canada has created a list of six quick tips that will ensure your automotive dealership is protected from thieves, criminals and vandals.

1 - Use wheel locks or install immobilization devices

Many news cars will already have tracking devices built into their systems, but, even for cars that don’t, your dealership can equip all of the cars in its inventory with external GPS systems and immobilization devices that help track, or even stop, stolen vehicles.

An extra layer that will help protect your car from theft is to install steering wheel locks on your cars while your business is closed for the evening. Tires and rims, which are commonly the target of theft, can also be protected with wheel locks.

2 - Store valuable vehicles inside

If you have a large showroom and your dealership sells valuable or rare vehicles then it’s a good idea to always keep them stored inside. This will protect them against theft. Extremely sought after cars are significantly more at risk of crime if they are left outside.

3 - Install managed access control

Physical keys to your premises are easily lost and misplaced, and that opens up the opportunity for thieves to get their hands on your expensive tools, specialty parts, car keys and other valuable assets in your office.

By implementing managed access control, however, your dealership will be able to remove all security issues that come with physical keys. A keyless system will limit the number of employees that have access to a certain area, allow you to have secure areas where you keep a tighter lock on your inventory and provide reporting tools that allow you to know exactly who was in which room at what time.

4 - Store car keys in a secure location

Your dealership will have a wide range of vehicles on its premises, and that means a large number of car keys that you have to keep secure from criminals. Leaving these keys around with no real plan is asking for trouble.

Always store car keys in a secure location when your vehicles aren’t being driven or delivered to customers. Most importantly, never keep keys in the ignition or spares in the glovebox - this is just asking for a criminal to take off with your vehicles.

5 - Don’t allow criminals to tow your dealership’s vehicles away

Criminals often opt to tow vehicles away from an automotive dealership, but you can make it incredibly hard for them to do this. By simply always parking cars with the e-brake on and turning the wheels sharply to one direction, you’ll make it near impossible for thieves to tow your company’s vehicles away.

6 - Implement a verified video security solution

Most automotive dealerships use a conventional CCTV system, but these old security systems are simply no longer enough to properly secure your business from the threat of thieves and vandals.

Conventional CCTV systems only serve to record crimes on your property, not prevent them. Not only that, but their incredibly high false alarm rates (98 per cent) means police officers take an average of 45 minutes to arrive on the scene - by that time the criminal has already left with your vehicles.

A verified alarm solution, on the other hand, uses unique, state-of-the-art technology to detect intrusions and verify them through a 24/7 monitoring centre. Experts at this central monitoring centre then alert police officers, which have an average dispatch time of just 3-4 minutes for verified alarms.

A verified security solution, which uses highly sensitive motion, heat and audio controls to detect criminals, will deter criminals from entering your premises. If the criminal is foolish enough to still enter, they’ll be caught in the act before they can make off with any of your valuable assets.

Want to learn how Sonitrol Western Canada can install a verified security solution that’s tailor-made for your automotive dealership? Contact our team of experts today. We would be more than happy to answer any questions you have.