The advent of convenient online shopping for everything from groceries and prescriptions to furniture and clothing has made life much easier for people everywhere. However, it’s also made things much easier for thieves, with statistics showing a major increase of package theft, with at least ⅓ of Americans saying that they have experienced package theft or knowing the victim of package theft. However, there’s measures that owners of residential complexes can take to ensure that package theft won’t hit their residents – here’s a guide to eliminating package theft, as prepared by the access control installation and residential security experts here at Nonstop Locksmith and Security Solutions.
Security Camera Installation
We recommend installing security cameras at the front door of the building, in hallways, and in the driveway. Security cameras that are visible will act as a deterrent for package theft, as well a potentially capturing criminals in the act. Mobile enabled security cameras allow you to monitor the area when deliveries are expected, with automatic notifications. You want to install weather resistant security cameras with night vision and motion detection capabilities.
Require Delivery Signatures, or Click and Collect
By requiring signatures for package delivery, you can make sure that thieves won’t steal packages – simply contact the delivery service and request a confirmation signature. We also recommend signing up for tracking alerts to stay up to date on when the package will be delivered. Click and collect is another option that allows people to shop online and pick up the package at a designated location – a brick and mortar store, or even an electronic locker – themselves.
Mail Holds
If one of your tenants expects to be away for a while, they should request a mail and package hold at the local postal service, as well as with the large delivery companies. This way, if packages and mail start being sent to them, they will simply be securely held at another location, instead of accumulating in front or in a delivery room, where not only will they be vulnerable to package theft, but they may signal to a burglar that a particular tenant is away, and thus, their apartment is ready to be broken into.
Access Control Systems
This is the holy grail of package theft prevention tools for apartment building managers. With the potential for remote control and full history auditing, access control technology can ensure that only people with a reason for being there can ever enter residential complexes. Delivery people can be issued a particular one-time code for entrance, and strangers off the street won’t be able to wander in to swipe up packages.