If you’ve ever shopped for a new car, you’ve probably gone to a dealership to see the beautifully polished, shiny vehicles on the forecourt, roofs down on the cabriolets on a sunny day, all lined up in row after row.
Keeping lots of stock on site is vital for their business but it puts dealers in a major conundrum, since there’s a higher risk of car theft and damage.
Car dealerships are the perfect environment for burglars, both because of the value of the inventory and its ‘open air’ nature. Cars, depending on make, model, year and features, can vary in price from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand euros. Dealerships also leave the vast majority of their vehicles out in the forecourt– leaving millions of euros of their inventory exposed to theft, damage and the elements.
CCTV (closed circuit television) is the main method dealerships use when protecting their sites. Here are the reasons why:
Prevent Theft: Like other retail stores, the euro is the bottom line for auto dealerships and garages. Protecting their inventory and potential profit is an essential aspect of sales, and with expensive inventory, security becomes that much more important.
Internal and external CCTV cameras placed around the dealership can help prevent thieves from taking cars by acting as a deterrent. Good clear footage can help identify the perpetrator if there is damage (accidental or deliberate) or theft. When coupled with sensors, cameras also can trigger out of hours alerts so business owners/ managers can react quickly to any intrusion.
Protect your premises, Employees, and Customers:
Modern CCTV allows management to view the whole site at a glance on their mobile; potential customers can be spotted and approached.
When placing CCTV cameras, you should consider the following:
- Make sure outdoor cameras are placed in protective housings to shield them against weather and wind damage.
- When placing outdoor cameras, be sure to not miss any areas of your lot, especially outlying spaces. Diverse types of cameras (bullet cameras and dome cameras) can be networked together to create a comprehensive system
- Do you want out of hours alerts? You must be careful with outdoor cameras that you aren’t alerted by stray branches or wildlife on a regular basis!
- External cameras shouldn’t overlook neighbouring houses or businesses when strategically set up areas can be masked to allay privacy concerns.
- Place cameras in storage and maintenance areas to prevent theft of valuable equipment and/or customer belongings.
- Make sure the key cabinet is monitored – you may want additional security on this -such as a biometric reader. You don’t want miles being added to your most valuable stock due to staff taking them out on evenings and weekends, or to give easy access to burglars.
- How long do you want to keep the footage for? Protect against retrospective insurance claims by keeping the CCTV footage for an appropriate amount of time.
“On checking the system it gave us a very clear view of the incident and a clear registration number. The Gardai were called and the person was found and paid up in full for the damage. This was as a direct result of having a good and very clear security system which we were very grateful for.” Bernard Cashman, Managing Director, Cashman Cars
As market leaders, innovators, manufacturers and installers of CCTV systems, Almas Industries can help you identify which cameras are appropriate and how many you need, we will guide you as to the amount of storage you will need on your DVR and provide the required signage so you are compliant. You can arrange your free, no obligation security survey by calling us on 01 68 333 68. If you prefer, you can always send a confidential email via enquiries@almas-industries.ie
