Construction sites offer great opportunities for thieves and vandals. Any given construction site on Cape Cod could easily have tens of thousands of dollars worth of tools, equipment, and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of building materials and construction equipment on the site.

Here is a recent news article about the theft of plumbing supplies (copper) from a construction site where a new home is being built. Pay attention to the timeline of the theft…

SOUTH YARMOUTH – Yarmouth police are searching for the person or persons who stole copper from a construction site in South Yarmouth. According to a Yarmouth police release, more than $2,000 in copper material was stolen from a property on Jesse’s Lane in the Bass River section of town.

The theft was reported to police Thursday morning. It is believed the theft occurred approximately 2- to 3-weeks ago. A new home is being built on the property. — Copper stolen from South Yarmouth construction site

The copper pipes were stolen at some point during a 2 to 3 week period and went unnoticed…

I know another local builder that had over $30,000 worth of tools stolen in a neighborhood where several new homes were being built. There are countless numbers of thefts that occur at construction sites. The items stolen range from tools and equipment, to building supplies and appliances.

A recent survey conducted for the Chartered Institute of Building identified that 92% of their respondents in the construction industry are affected regularly by theft, with 21% of these revealing that theft takes place on a weekly basis from their sites. — The true cost of construction site theft

Heavy equipment and building materials area not only susceptible to theft, but are also targets for vandalism. In the last five years, the National Equipment Register has compiled a list of more than 70,000 reports of stolen construction and farm equipment.

“Opportunity and value come together on construction job sites all across America and thieves are making the most of it. Stealing heavy equipment is a thriving crime.

The total value of stolen equipment each year in the United States is in the neighborhood of $300 million to $1 billion. The range is so large because of incomplete theft data, but any number you pick within that range represents a big problem.

The thefts are happening so often because construction equipment and machinery are relatively easy to steal and easy to get rid of in a shadowy worldwide market, including a black market. Furthermore, each piece of equipment generally carries a high profit margin for the successful thief.

A lot of the reason for the thefts is that they are a crime of opportunity,” he said. “Work sites are not patrolled, high value items are not locked up or put in safe places. There is no sense of security at the sites” after hours, which virtually invites thieves to try to steal something.

A variety of preventive measures were suggested. They include:

• Securing an equipment yard with chainlink fence, perhaps with barbed wire at the top;

• Hiring security guards to patrol a site;

• Lighting up the perimeter of a site overnight;

• Periodically checking job sites for unusual activity, especially on weekends;”

— Law Enforcement Focuses on Construction Site Theft

We provided security for the new Hyannis Fire station construction site after an arson took place.

How to combat construction site theft and vandalism

Periodic random mobile security patrols of the site and security guards posted during non-construction days and after hours are both excellent physical security solutions for residential and commercial construction sites.

These security measures can both prevent crimes from happening and if something does happen, they will offer valuable information to police investigators after the fact.

Mobile Security Patrols

Frequent random security patrols (also referred to as area checks or building checks) are another great option for building and construction sites. Patrols offer a high visibility option for construction site security and can be performed at any interval, at any time of day. Construction sites are most often patrolled at night and on weekends when there is usually no one at the site working. Mobile patrols can also be an effective and affordable alternative to on-site security guard shifts.

Periodically checking job sites for unusual activity, especially on weekends is a strategy recommended by law enforcement agencies.

Frequent periodic randomly timed patrols will portray a high security presence during periods when there is typically nobody around at the site (times that thieves target).

Accountability

All of our mobile patrol and guarding services include cutting edge real-time reporting, records keeping and accountability including verifiable GPS mapping of patrols and guard tours.

GPS Patrol Checkpoints Map

Real Time Reporting and Patrol Tours

Since all of our patrols include detailed real time reporting and time stamped images during patrol tours, these reports can be a vital asset in cataloging construction progress and what equipment and materials are present on the site during each patrol. Our patrols will perform property tours with reports that document conditions at the site, construction progress and the presence of materials, equipment, etc.

Have All Cape Security Patrol keep an eye on your construction site

Periodic mobile patrol tours or overnight on-site security guards will keep your construction site safe and will make it an undesirable target for thieves and vandals.

Residential Construction Projects for Absentee Owners

Our patrol service can keep an eye on your vacation home construction and remodeling projects at your Cape Cod property while you are away.

Our patrol tour reports can provide independent verification of completion/progress of services contracted with third-party contractors, for example before they are paid. (contractor work completion verification).

Fire Watch Services

Some construction sites may also require nightly fire watches during some phases of construction.

Call All Cape Security Patrol at (774) 383-2030 or email us today for a free quote on your construction site security needs.