Powerful Strategies Construction Site Theft

Powerful strategies construction site theft

Many an opportunistic thief has cast their parasitic gaze over the empty expanse of an unmanned construction site. If the right preventative measures are not in place, expensive tools and machinery will disappear overnight, with little project managers can do but make a police report and order more supplies.

1. Take advantage of the latest tracking technology

“It is conceivably possible to remove the thousands of microdots (DataDots) applied to an item but would be totally cost ineffective to do so. Just one tiny microdot has to remain for an item to be identified as stolen. The risk of thieves getting caught with a DataDotDNA protected item is significantly increased.” 

The company approaches theft prevention from all possible avenues including:

• Unique, undetectable asset tagging with DNA microdots;
• Secure PIN registry for every asset registered;
• Stickers and overt methods to alert thieves that your assets are protected and not safe to steal;
• Co-branding with CrimeStoppers to add a stronger level of deterrence;
• Training measures with police, scrap metal shops, and other relevant stakeholders so they know how to work with the technology and get tagged property back where it belongs.

2. Ramp up your site security

The one thing you can count on about thieves is that they don’t want to get caught. This makes them inherently cowardly. Create an environment in which the danger of being noticed is high and they’ll move on to another opportunity. Remember the Lake Macquarie thieves? They kept their headlights off during their midnight stealing missions because light = visibility; and visibility is a thief’s arch nemesis. So make sure your site is always well lit. If you install security cameras, make sure they’re visible with signage and stickers around the perimeter of the site indicating the security measures in place.

3. Maintain a consistent presence on site

We hate to say it but not all construction site theft is carried out by errant members of the public. In fact, a report from CMIG suggests there may actually be organised crime gangs, run by people from the industry, targeting construction sites. While you don’t want to be casting the dark shadow of tyrannical dictatorship over your site, it’s worth maintaining a regular presence and chatting to your workers. Make notes, track progress and discuss your observations. You can blend this approach in with your usual project management and tracking and use it as a positive opportunity to commend individual accomplishments.

4. Schedule supplies to be delivered as needed

The more you have on site, and the longer it sits there, the more tempting it is for thieves. Midnight raids are rife, particularly on sites with visible and accessible piles of cracker dust, top soil and lumber. Sadly, even if the theft is noticed by members of the public, bystander apathy and the desire to ‘mind your own business’ tend to stifle people’s willingness to contact the police. This may be inconvenient; and will certainly require solid planning, tracking and communication to avoid project delays. However, it is far more convenient than having to pay the price—in time and money- of replacing stolen supplies and equipment.

5. Maintain detailed inventory records

Paperwork may not be the most enjoyable part of your job but its ability to help you in difficult situations is invaluable. As soon as any supplies or equipment hit the site, you need them inventoried. Your paper trail needs to map the path your supplies take through the site, from ordering, to receiving and implementing. This gives people personal responsibility for the equipment and supplies they use which has the double benefit of reducing the likelihood of employee theft and increasing the likelihood of workers adequately securing anything they’ve been working with.

6. Make your theft prevention policy known

Rather than vague concepts, its best to get your whole plan down in an official policy which makes the rules and consequences clear to anyone entering the site. This allows you to establish clearly what is and isn’t okay so there are no murky lines.

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