Have you ever wondered how auto dealerships are protecting their inventory of brand-new vehicles? If you pass by a dealership on your way home from partying, you might think how it is that these are not being targeted by criminals when they don’t even cover their glass walls with more solid gates. That’s just the thing about auto dealerships. While criminals may find it easy to enter an auto dealership, what’s harder is getting out of it. Sure, you can pick a backdoor lock, but how are you going to fit in a car there?
That’s the point of letting people see what’s going on inside the dealership even though it’s closed for the day. A lot of robbery attempts have been foiled because passersby have the courage to call security or the police when they notice something unusual in an auto dealership. And that’s all because they can see right through the glass. It is critical for auto dealerships to think of ways to protect their shops. But more than that, they have to be smart and practical about their solutions, too.
If you are worried about your auto dealership business, then you have to assess the kind of security measures you put in place there. Are there ways into the main garage? How are the locks, exits, and entrances? Who do you trust to keep this safe at night?
Check the Lock System
Most burglaries become successful because the dealerships don’t take care of the lock system enough. When was the last time you had the locks and doors checked? Maybe it is time to call the garage door repair company because they have to assess if these locks are as sturdy as they promise they would be.
Then, you have to make it a habit to change the door locks and passcodes. You cannot have a schedule because that will make it easy for others who might be monitoring your activities. Rather, you need to do it randomly. This means changing it once a week sometimes or once every two weeks or every month or a day or two after the last change. You have to confuse anyone who might be thinking of getting into your shop.
Keep the Lights On
This might not be the most environment-friendly option out there, but it is for the safety of your auto dealership. Keep the lights on in your showroom even at night. Or you can install a motion-detecting light that will turn on if there is movement in the room. That will discourage burglars from targeting your shop. Remember never to let a day pass that the light does not work. This might just be an inside job, and you’ll wake up without your inventory of cars.
Use Wheel Locks and Install a GPS System
Criminals might get into your showroom, but how are they going to drive your car easily? Using wheel locks will at least deter their schedule. They’ll still have to remove the locks and that will take time. Another way to track the movement of your vehicles is to install a GPS in each one of them. Turn the system on every time you live the showroom. The system should connect to your phone or laptop and alert you if the cars even moved an inch.
Build an Indoor Storage
For super rare and expensive cars, don’t trust the showroom for them. Only display the cars in the morning, but put them in an indoor storage facility at closing time. An indoor storage usually has more security measures than the main showroom. It is like a vault for cars. At the very least, the hassle of having to steal something from a vault will deter criminals from targeting your dealership.
Vet Your Staff
It is easy to trust your staff when they’ve been with you for years. However, you don’t know what tempts them outside the company. Once in a while, evaluate your staff’s trustworthiness. Only trust a number of people with the car keys, as well as the passcode to the showroom and indoor storage. Keeping the people who know how to enter your place of business to a minimum will deter crimes, too.
The security of an auto dealership is a team effort. This means that it’s the work of everyone in the organization—from the owner down to the very last person in the pecking order. Everyone should have a responsibility to keep the dealership safe and secure. After all, the safety of the company’s assets will also be the safety of the workers’ tenure.
