Article from Volume 8, Issue Number 4, 2021

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Physical Security in Condominiums - Fall 2021

By Gary WiIliams | Other articles by Gary WiIliams | Feature

Crime is not an everyday experience, but when it happens, it is very troubling. There are several ways your condominium building, residents and visitors can be protected.

First, it’s essential to ensure that outside lighting is adequate and working. With the new LED lamps, using a dusk-to-dawn or motion sensor makes financial sense and is easy to implement. Regularly check locks on doors and windows, ensure fences are in good repair, review roofs for secure access and storage rooms for security (they should have adequate locking mechanisms). You should also plan and conduct drills for unauthorized intrusions. Raising awareness of implemented security procedures in the condo community can be a great asset.

You should also invest in a quality security system. This could be a stand-alone security system in certain buildings. Alternatively, with internet access, a system could form a security curtain for multiple buildings. A quality system provides many advantages: much longer component life, lower maintenance costs, fewer false alarms, increased video resolution, increased cybersecurity and more. A security system can even incorporate thermal cameras, vehicle license plate readers and facial recognition. Some apps can detect a person who has fallen or someone laying motionless on the ground. Another app can detect suspicious behaviour if someone enters or remains in a sensitive area.

A risk assessment of the property, its assets and its systems, is an essential first step. The assessment should consider these three components of physical security.

• The likelihood of a specific incident occurring. Have there been prior incidents at your property or neighboring properties?
• The impact of said incident - how critical of an issue would it be if inadequate security allowed it to happen.
• The vulnerability - are there existing prevention or detection measures, cameras, protection zones available, technology, barriers, people and procedures in place?

In addition to looking at the buildings, risk assessments of the property perimeter including fences, entrances, exits, parking areas, roof openings, windows and doors need to be investigated.

A thorough security assessment should include a combination of surveillance, lighting, access control, barriers, alarm systems and security officers/monitoring, all within a predetermined budget. Of course, security improvements can be implemented in stages over several years. A word of caution — delaying security improvements can lead to losses that would exceed the cost of security improvements.

GARY WILLIAMS

Gary Williams has worked in the security industry for 14 years as a security consultant, security service provider and is the owner of Clearly InSight. He launched the company 10 years ago and, in that time, has provided a superior level of security for many schools, municipalities and businesses. For more information, visit https://www.clearlyinsightip.com/.