For residential communities like multifamily apartments, condos, and townhouses, parking garage crime can negatively impact occupancy rates, tarnish a property’s image, and decrease net operating income. Types of crime include property damage and theft.
One apartment complex in British Columbia, Canada experienced a series of crimes in its underground parking garage. As a result, many of the residents felt unsafe. One tenant said she believed it would be safer to park on the street rather than in the undergound parkade. Someone broke into her van and stole items worth $1,000 CAD. Another parking garage crime victim said her $3,000 bike was taken from a storage locker. A third victim’s golf clubs disappeared. These are common occurrences at many similar complexes across North America.
All three of these residents say they want better security. One believes the underground parking garage needs to have surveillance cameras installed and a place to lock bikes to. Another parking garage crime victim thought the locks had been changed, giving unauthorized building access to someone who shouldn’t have it.
The property manager of this British Columbia multifamily apartment complex did not give an on-camera interview. He said additional measures have been put into place to increase security. One possible solution he is considering is the installation of surveillance cameras in the parking garage.
Local authorities arrested a suspect affiliated with the parking garage crime. He was not a resident of the apartment community. A representative from the local police said they were able to identify the suspect with surveillance video. Police recommended he be charged with the following: breaking and entering, two counts of possession of stolen property, theft, possession of breaking and entering tools, and possession of a controlled substance.
Police have warned the residents to be more vigilant by not leaving valuables in their car where they can be easily seen. Theft and property crime are problems throughout North America.
This residential community is not a Stealth client, but could benefit from ECAM’s real-time virtual guard services.
ECAM is the leader in remote video surveillance in Canada and the U.S, with over 400 employees, 11 offices, and 3 live video monitoring control centers. ECAM’s proactive video monitoring watches over 17,000 IP and CCTV security cameras. Our security solutions feature advanced technology and can detect and deter crime while reducing security guard and other expenses. Our remote monitoring service can reduce or even replace security guards at a fraction of the cost. A remote surveillance operator can see suspicious activity, activate a speaker warning, and call the local police.
Please call toll-free (855) STEALTH or contact us today for more information to protect your outdoor assets. Visit the Stealth website to see real arrest videos at construction sites, multifamily apartments, shopping centers, office buildings, warehouses, auto dealerships, and other commercial real estate properties.
