With the rising crime rate in British Columbia a lot of companies are questioning their security and with a spate of crime in Langley City, business owners are looking to improve their security solutions.

According to the MacLean’s survey, ‘Canada’s Most Dangerous Places - 2018’, Langley, along with 2 other BC locations are in the top 10 dangerous places in Canada because of crime. In Langley, the majority of this is property crime, and it’s important for Langley business owners to make sure they are well protected from this threat.

The first step is to learn about commercial security. Many business owners that we talk to have misconceptions about about commercial security systems, and we’d like to help clear that up.

Misconception 1 - You can use a home security system to protect a commercial business

Commercial security is a completely different animal to home security, and should be treated as such. Companies that specialize in commercial loss prevention, like Sonitrol, will recommend unique security solutions that are guaranteed to secure your property.

The typical home security system is not built for the demands of an industrial setting, where dust, vibration, poor light conditions, and event ambient noise have to be factored into the install. In an office or retail environment, a commercial security system will operate 24x7 without device failure. They are built to be always on and working. A commercial system should be robust, high quality, and comprehensive.

Misconception 2 - There is no way to detect a break-in until the bad guy has actually gotten inside the building.

With the majority of conventional systems such as motion detectors, this is unfortunately very true. By definition, a motion detector detects motion, and sometimes heat of a body moving around inside a limited area of coverage. Motion detectors are often installed inside a building, in a corridor for example.

Your security doesn’t have to be this inefficient. The best option is to detect the criminal on the outside trying to get in, verify the threat to your business, and dispatch the local police department with confidence.

The idea is to call the police before they get in, not because they got in. Proactive security, will help stop crime, while reactive security more than likely doesn’t leave enough time to stop damage and theft. Verified impact activated audio detection does this very well; often resulting in apprehensions outside the business, before the criminals even enter the facility.

Misconception 3 - Motion detectors are efficient devices.

Most police officers will tell you that motion detectors are the single biggest contributor to equipment-based false alarms. Hasn’t everyone had some experience with ceiling fans being left on, the A/C moving something when it kicks on, a clap of lightning that shakes the building, roaches or spiders on the detector, or critters moving across a compound.

False alarms are not only a huge inconvenience, many police departments have penalties for reporting them!

There is a better way to monitor your business. It’s called verified alarms; either Live Audio or Live Video detection monitoring at a local central station.

Misconception 4 - Using well-placed motion detectors on door contacts will provide a satisfactory level of security for my business, and we probably won’t need to contact all doors if we have motion detectors or beams inside.

Motion detectors on door contacts is not an adequate security strategy. This way will probably only detect intrusion in only a small part of your premises. A business with more doors, especially businesses like car dealerships or warehouses, the more tempting it will be for an alarm rep to suggest this type of device, but at the major compromise of your security.

Sonitrol manufacturers and installs commercial security systems that not only monitor doors and other potential access points, but exterior perimeters.

Wouldn’t you rather have a system that guarantees 100% protection of your facility instead of just monitoring a few doorways?

To see the whole list of misconceptions about commercial security systems click the below button:

Don’t be at a loss – We know you can’t possibly keep up with all the new technology available in commercial loss prevention…that’s our job. Properly trained Sonitrol sales consultants will listen to your needs, help you identify and evaluate your security risk issues,and recommend appropriate loss prevention solutions.

Sonitrol has been standing behind its security products and services for almost fifty years. At Sonitrol, we really do listen to your problems. Literally. And we give police the chance they want and need to resolve your problem.

(Canada's Most Dangerous Places - Mclean’s, 2018)