Vandalism and property damage currently cost businesses around $2 and $10 billion annually. This is compounded by the fact that vandalism and property damage frequently go unreported, so the real figure is much higher. 

And leaders within property management, construction, hospitality, and other industries - are often confused about how to best approach this issue whilst minimizing cost. 

‍The True Cost of Vandalism and Property Damage

The negative effects of vandalism and property damage are far-reaching, and can lead to repercussions that many leaders may not be aware of. 

‍1. Insurance premiums often go up after a vandalism claim

When businesses submit an insurance claim regarding vandalism, their insurance premiums may rise. This leads to less money going towards your bottom line each month. Some businesses may even choose not to file a claim due to the potential rise in insurance costs. By instilling proactive security solutions within their workflows, companies can stop occurrences of vandalism and property damage from occurring in the first place, thus saving them money in added insurance costs. 

‍2. Damaged reputation with customers  

When customers see a business or premises covered in graffiti, damaged, or dealing with other issues related to vandalism and property damage - old and new customers are less likely to visit this business. That’s because your area may appear to be unsafe and dangerous. 

‍3. Profit lost from interrupted operations

If severe damage is done that needs significant repair, a business may need to shut down operations to effectively address and fix the problem. Even if the damage is fixed within a short period of time, that’s still profit being lost for that business owner. 

‍4. Decline in employee morale and safety  

When employees walk into their workplace and see it vandalized and damaged, this can lower their morale and pride in their job. And above all, it makes employees feel less safe while at work. These feelings typically lead to a high amount of turnover and other dropped workplace productivity as businesses are constantly having to train new employees. 

‍Combatting Vandalism and Property Damage with Proactive Security 

Flock Safety offers several security solutions – including LPR cameras and mobile security trailers – built to deter offenders from committing acts of vandalism and property damage. Not only can Flock  proactively stop these crimes from being committed in the first place, but our technology helps business owners access actionable evidence if property crimes do happen. 

‍ “A huge help for bringing down crime in my properties is having a plate reader. When we used Flock’s system, we put the camera at the front of our property together with their yard signs that read, “Monitored 24/7.” We found that over the last 6 weeks, we went from an average of three incidents a week to zero.” 

• Douglas Foppe, President, Prominent Realty Group of Georgia

‍Remote Monitoring of Restricted Areas

Vandalism and property damage are most likely to happen in circumstances where the offender knows they’re likely to get away with it. Which means that areas with low foot traffic are often most susceptible to crimes like vandalism and property damage. 

‍Flock Safety’s mobile security trailers are a movable solution to deter bad actors from your property. With a bold design including three video cameras, a talk down speaker, and flashing blue lights, offenders know immediately that they’re being watched. 

Mobile security trailers also integrate with Flock Safety LPR cameras to offer unparalleled live monitoring of property, and the capture of actionable evidence to assist with investigations. 

By equipping your premises with Flock Safety mobile security trailers, you’re better prepared to proactively deter any occurrences of vandalism and property damage. 

‍After-Hours Alert Response Service (H3)  

Vandalism and property damage typically occur overnight or after businesses have closed. Flock Safety’s Alert Response Service provides an extra layer of protection for businesses with limited after-hours security measures by connecting them with trained professionals who take immediate action on automated alerts. 

Imagine you’re a property manager and someone shows up in your shopping center parking lot after hours. When a Person Detection alert is triggered from Flock’s mobile security trailer, a remote agent quickly reviews the video to determine the next steps. If it’s a false alarm, the alert is dismissed. 

For low-priority incidents, the agent uses talk-down speakers with tailored warnings, from polite reminders to firm commands for potential threats. They can also escalate to on-site security or law enforcement as needed. Every incident is logged for your review and to continuously improve response accuracy.

Interested in learning more about how Flock Safety can prevent crime at your business? Check out our blog on how we combat parking lot break-ins here.

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