Security is an essential concern for prospective residents of a gated community. An effective security system attracts and retains residents. Be aware of and avoid security mistakes in your gated community to keep it as attractive as possible to new residents. Below are seven security mistakes to avoid to protect your residents and reputation.
Security Mistakes to Avoid
Maintaining top-tier security in a gated community is essential for the safety of residents and the reputation and long-term appeal of the property. Even small oversights can open doors to serious threats and diminish the sense of security that residents expect. Gated communities are often targeted due to the assumption of lax or predictable security patterns. To ensure your community remains a secure and desirable place to live, here are seven common security mistakes to avoid, each critical for protecting your residents and property.
1. Unsecured Entries
Don’t overlook any entry to your gated community. Simply installing a gate is not enough to secure an entry point. Sophisticated burglars can manipulate electronically controlled gates. If a gate is your only security protection, it might not hold up in some situations. Secure every entry with a security officer and an access station to track who’s going in and out.
2. No Direct Security Contact
Provide direct security contact to all residents in your community. This should be a contact that residents notify immediately when they see anything out of the ordinary. Without direct security contact for your residents, intruders could be left to run free within your community for an extended period, even after residents have noticed their presence. For peace of mind and optimum security, residents should have a specific representative who responds immediately to security concerns.
3. Occasional Absence of Security Officers
Prospective burglars spy on gated communities to look out for a security breach to exploit. You create a security breach when you allow for even a temporary absence of security officers at an access point. Schedule security officer shifts properly to ensure that security personnel never leave access points and security stations unmanned.
4. Lack of Educational Resources for Residents
Don’t overlook the importance of educating your residents regarding security protocol. Residents at gated communities appreciate any security efforts management takes and are willing to cooperate with the protocol. Hold a community meeting and distribute brochures and literature informing residents of security procedures at access points. Residents need to know how to invite guests to the community without compromising security, so ensure they’re well informed.
5. Lack of Research and Awareness of Risks
A risk assessment is essential to anticipating and correcting security risks. It should pinpoint possible security breaches and analyze crime in the area surrounding the community. As the owner or manager of a gated community, please introduce yourself to local law enforcement personnel and create a communication channel with them. Be sure to ask for advice on how to maximize security in your community, and ask them for information on the particular crime risks in the area.
6. Incomplete Visitor Logs
Even guests invited to your community by residents should have to sign in to visitor logs organized digitally with a visitor management system. The more comprehensive and complete visitor logs are in your community, the more secure your community will be. Guests should be required to show an official form of identification when they sign visitor logs to ensure you know who’s coming and going. Visitor log records should show not only the guests’ identification but also the time period during which they were in the community.
7. Unclear Allocation of Responsibilities
Your security staff members and residents need to fully understand their responsibilities regarding securing their properties. Lay out your security policy in detail. Imprecise allocation of duties among staff and residents leads to security lapses. Contact us at American Global Security for more information on optimizing security features in your gated community.
