Need some help on cctv systems after my mechanic was threatened today!!

Donegal_Paul

Before you read on, im after some advice on lone worker / security related issues for small businesses.

Basically, I run a small classic scooter business and part of our work involves the mechanic road testing the scooters to ensure they are working & running correctly etc.

This basically means he takes them onto the public highway, ie the local roads.

Now to be fair, it's not the first time he's been cut up on a scooter by a motorist that didnt see him! but today has taken the biscuit where he had someone come out in front of him, gestures exchanged and the driver stopped the car threatening the mechanic.

He then followed him back to the unit (small industrial unit) where i and another customer were. We heard a bit of a commotion and came out to find the driver shouting at the top of his lungs in a completely aggressive way then we spotted the machete!!

We picked up whatever was handy but when he saw us he left, spinning his car up the road madly, which is when we informed the police who werent exactly helpful. Ill be dealing with them tomorrow.

So, the upshot is, i now have a mechanic that was a bit shook up and to be honest i am in the sense that the guys parting words were very threatening to say the least, inferring he'll be back some other dark evening!

So, who has an idea of what i can do about this to minimise the risk to me and my mechanic?

Im thinking of extra outside lighting , panic alarm possibly, baseball bats and cctv.

Its been a bad day :-(

Donegal_Paul

no one???

redballoon_2

I would suggest getting a cctv recording system, perhaps one that has a visiable camera and one thats hidden so if he does smash the camera you have got it filmed (as criminal damage!) and also still be able to record anything that may happen.

if he was threatening to break in (or something) could you not connect a car/bike battery to a handle of some description?? unsure how this stands in court for damages to a burgular tho!

a panic alarm is only useful if there are other people around.

i would report the incident to the police so they are aware and could offer some advice as well. (dont think they would recommend the battery option tho!)

outside lightening is a good option especially if its around a dark alley etc...

davebatt

Personally I'd probably be looking at using a combination of an good monitored alarm system, outdoor security lighting.

CCTV wise you can get a 4 camera system that plugs records directly to a computer (although would be better to have a dedicated PC) for under £300 which will give you 4 cameras recording at 15fps which only activates via motion detection. This can be expanded easily up 16 cameras if needed and be remotely monitored.

Obviously it depends on what kind of budget you have available.

hollydays

In what way were the Police not helpful.Did you get his reg. also?(whats the betting this car was unregistered?)Ask to speak to an Inspector if you are getting fobbed off.
Victim Support are a charity that might offer advice over the phone.,on dealing with the Police etc. 0845 30 30 900 is the national number.The Police SHOULD be offering you free advice on protecting your property,and yourselves. Some personal attack alarms may be useful.Ring Crime prevention department,or look at your Police areas website for similar.You should make sure it has been reported,ask for a crime number.An assault has taken place,even though no physical contact took place.The machete makes it very serious.

Savvy_Sue

I am quite sure that linking a handle to a live electrical source is a no-no ... as is anything else which puts an intruder at risk of injury. It's different if he has a machete and you happen to have a large wrench in your hand ...

Lone working: can you stop it now? I realise that your mechanic can't take a pillion passenger out, but can you make sure no-one is ever left on-site alone, and that whenever someone is out on a bike there is a note in the workshop of when they went, where they went, and when they're due back.

Then you need a procedure for what to do if they're not back by the stated time. Adapting ours at work, your mechanic would have a mobile phone with sufficient battery and credit to be useful, and if they were held up by a fault they would ring you. If you don't get that call within whatever YOU decide is a reasonable time, YOU call him. If you don't get a reply, you decide what action would be reasonable - give it another 5 minutes in case he can't hear while on the bike, or is stuck in traffic and can't answer etc. Then do you go and look for him (works if he always does the same run) or phone the police / hospitals? And do you shut the workshop while two of you go, or leave just one person there? Again, that's your call.

As for making your premises safer for lone working / general working, that's part of your health and safety policy. You have to balance how likely something is to happen against how catastrophic it would be if it DID happen. Now we have the smoking ban, that's one 'risk' removed, but prior to that I would guess that a sound H&S policy would say 'no naked flames near the petrol tank', because the likelihood is that one day someone will drop a fag end in a pool of petrol, and what would happen could be pretty catastrophic!

In this situation, presumably the premises are fairly open and there's not a lot you can do to keep people out while you're working, so consider what barriers you CAN put in - even something lightweight which doesn't prevent someone crossing it gives out a message which may deter some people, if not someone wielding a machete.

Also think about keeping weapons out of the hands of the unarmed. Think about how you could try to de-fuse situations rather than inflame them. (Not wishing to display a gender bias here, but there is some evidence that women talk themselves out of trouble whereas men square up to trouble and make it bigger.) Balance the feeling of security you get from having that massive wrench handy to the way you'll feel if a previously unarmed intruder picks it up and waves it at you. We keep knives and scissors out of sight where I work, so as not to give the clients ideas, but although your risk feels high at the moment, try to be realistic and not panic. Look at it as a good chance to review and update your H&S in this area!

another thought though, if there are other businesses in the area, worth chatting to them and keeping an eye out for each other, asking if any of them already have CCTV etc.

Zebedee69

If it was my place I would:

- Try and have one entrance and exit from the building and lock all other doors tight. Fire escapes should have proper fire escape locks only openable form the inside. Try and create natural barriers to people not wishing to enter the building as a normal customer. Prickly bushes even large potted ones!, gates, railings, chained fences etc etc. If you have to have a seperate normal door because your not allowed to have customers into the main garage area try and have an automatic chirp noise when its opened so your mechanic knows someone has entered.

- Have decent lighting on all doors/vunerable windows at night. Not pir floodlights but standard outdoor lights with energy saving bulbs.

- Get to know the other businesses and keep an eye on each other. if the police dont visit the estate everyday request a drive by once a day and at night. If your man is on his own and your next door neighbour has an Appointed person or First Aider on site then let them know where you keep your kit. Try and have a clear approved sign to show where it is too. Ditto fire extinguishers.

- Have an alarm system with a panic button easily reached from the main garage area. Also work out a protection setting for day use ie: All exits other than your main one plus smashing/opening of windows & panic button should set it off.

- Have phones easily reached from the main garage area and have 999, Local police, your mobile/house number & next door neighbours business on speedial. Always allow your mechanic to carry his mobile phone in work.

- CCTV should cover all the doors/vunerable windows and the main entrance. I think there is a law saying how long tapes should be kept but im not 100% cetain on this.

- Plenty of CCTV signs and if you have a friend in security ask for a company sign to put up on your building. Alarm box should be in full view to the front of building with the strobe flasher viewable also.

jayprent

cctv in action signs can be bought from ebay quite cheaply, also if it is your business there are systems that can be connected to broadband that will send an email alert if eg a door is opened and then you can log in from wherever you are to view live video over the internet from a pc or mobile phone to see what is actually happening for about £250. try myhome247 as they were really helpful on the phone with tech support when i bought my alarm.

chuckles1066

Donegal_Paul wrote: »

no one???

You should have said he was brandishing a gun.

I can GUARANTEE that you'd have got a response; the police are very keen on anti-terrorism enforcement at the moment.

lynzpower

Dont bother with the baseball bats, these end up being the wrong side of the law, as they are an indended weapon ( ie you wouldnt play baseball in a garage- would you) whereas other heavy objects can be used as a weapon in the 'heat of a moment' for example, torches/ wrenches/hammers etc, items that SHOULD be present in a workshop already.

I totally agree with Sues, lone worker policy with the mobile, indeed this was a policy that I too used when working in social work, being out and about dealing with very angry clients.

Do you have a buzzer door entry system? That could help... altho I dont know what they cost.

hollydays

chuckles1066 wrote: »

You should have said he was brandishing a gun.

I can GUARANTEE that you'd have got a response; the police are very keen on anti-terrorism enforcement at the moment.

To say you can GUARANTEE it is stating the bleeding obvious! So before anti-terrorism laws they would have done what different exactly?