Parking theft, protect to deterring thieves

Theft with or without breaking and entering a parking lot or garage has become commonplace. Do you know how many times a year your car park is visited for the purpose of scouting ? What to do in case of theft but above all how to secure access to the common car park, deter thieves and protect your garages, boxes and warehouses. This is the purpose of this article, to help you better understand the risks.

A high frequency of spotting in car parks

Every owner of car parks, garages, boxes or warehouses is one day confronted with theft. The latest fashion is to steal car parts: you arrive in the morning to leave for work and you are missing a door, wheels, or lights… Arrested thieves don’t risk much. Many websites allow you to resell parts quickly and discreetly.

Police officers interviewed confirm that parking lots and garages are visited. Just to keep track of vehicle models and colors. Several members of our club have had this unpleasant experience and dreaded it. Indeed, we have noticed that one out of two tenants think of leaving their location after a theft. With a risk of losing 50 % of your occupants, we had to advise and teach you how to secure your parking lots.

How to protect your property and deter thieves

The number one cause of burglary without a break-in is tenant turnover. When you have transient tenants, you increase the risk of misplacing or passing on access keys. In co-ownership you must obtain the agreement of the syndic before carrying out any work. If you are an owner outside the condominium, you have free rein to install different protection systems.

Shared parking : raising user awareness

En la copropiedad, lo primero que hay que hacer es convencer a los demás pIn co-ownership, the first thing to do is to convince the other owners of the risks in order to encourage preventive action. Member of the club, I invite you to read our article which explains how to analyze the solvency of a candidate tenant from the first appointment, a good selection reduces your risk of unpaid bills and worries !

In co-ownership, the most important thing is to convince other owners of the risks in order to encourage preventive action. The police reminds us that : “nothing is better than people’s vigilance”, a few simple rules can increase the level of security :

• once you have exited the parking lot, wait for the automatic door to close to prevent someone from entering. Police officers interviewed recalled that a car waiting for a door to close shows an awareness of residents and may deter some thieves,
• always lock your vehicle,
• do not leave any valuables visible in the passenger compartment,
• never leave the remote control beep or an access key in your vehicle. In the event of an intrusion you will make it easier for thugs to get out and encourage them to come back in.

The club provides you with a ready-made leaflet that you can print and display in the car park of your residence so that your neighbours can benefit from our experience.

Link between rental vacancy and flight

A study shows that there is a link between the number of offences and the rental vacancy. There are twice as many crimes committed in a car park with a vacancy rate of around 20 % as in a set of car parks with a vacancy rate of around 10 %. Encourage owners who do not use their parking spaces to rent them, they can place an ad on our site it’s free ! You can join our club to discover our solutions to reduce your rental vacancy.

Securing access

Shared car parks must meet many standards for public and private parking. Without forgetting the fire prevention standard which is by far the most restrictive, you remember it is also the one that prohibits storage in certain cases.

The fire standard requires the installation of fire safety doors with a quick release bar for faster evacuation. This is the big, little-known security loophole that offers thieves the possibility of opening it from the outside without a key. Find out about the bad experiences of our members and how they solved this problem ; consult the solutions on the forum. You can also improve the security of pedestrian access to a car park by regularly replacing the lock cylinder. We recommend the use of nickel-plated cylinders.

Another alternative is to install an electric lock, access to which is controlled by a digicode. In this case, simply enter a code on the keypad to open the door. There is even another version with a Vigik type RFID badge system. Simply present a badge to open the door.

Prevention : signs of burglars

Observe and look for suspicious signs of sightings in the vicinity of your home. If you see a drawing like the examples below, quickly notify the police. Signs of burglars are placed in discreet places : at the front door, garbage cans, mailbox, gate, wall…

Solutions to discourage small thieves

Nothing like a little “alarm” sticker to deter some ill-intentioned people.
Advantage : very low investment that will generate doubt among thieves.
Disadvantage : a well-informed burglar will make several sightings and will realize that there is no alarm.
Tip : the sticker must be clearly visible from outside your property.

Another deterrent solution is to place a dummy camera at the entrance to your property.
Advantage : low investment that generates doubt.
Disadvantage : an experienced thief will realize that it is dummy equipment.
Tip : a dummy camera must be placed high up and in full view of the entrance. The camera should not film the road directly but an entrance to make it look realistic.

Protections to slow down the progress of a burglar

A reinforced locking system to delay the opening of the garage door.
Advantage : reinforced security that will slow down the progress of potential thieves.
Disadvantage : this protection is visible, an informed burglar will take tools to enter faster.
Tip : hide the protection system behind a wooden flap mounted on the door.

In order to slow down the opening of the garage door, opt for a ground anchoring system.
Advantage : minor investment that will delay the progress of potential thieves.
Disadvantage : this protection is visible, a well-informed burglar will take tools in order to enter faster.
Tip : hide this protection system to surprise the burglar.

Similarly, opt for a system with a security bar for each shutter.
Advantage : small investment that will delay the progress of potential thieves.
Disadvantage : the thief will have to break your shutters to get in, but he will lose time!
Tip : hide this protection system to surprise the burglar.

A folding barrier to slow down the movement of vehicles or to keep your seat.
Advantage: low investment to quickly block and protect an access or your car park entrance.
Disadvantage : like any effective security device, the weak point is the opening and closing time.
Tip : the robustness of this element depends on the quality of its fixing to the ground.

Passive surveillance

A wireless infrared surveillance camera to monitor your home.
Advantage : Reasonable investment to monitor and provide proof in case of an attack.
Disadvantage : the surveillance angle is fixed.
Tip : place several cameras inside and outside your home.

A complete CCTV system to monitor your entire home.
Advantage : recording with archiving up to 16 days, 8 infrared cameras.
Disadvantage : the first installation may take some time.
Tip : think carefully about the location of the cameras inside and outside. You need to have the best viewing angle without filming public areas.

💡 Did you know that : The use of a video surveillance device is very regulated. You must put up a display to warn the public of the presence of cameras. Make a declaration to obtain the agreement of the syndicate of co-owners if you are in a co-ownership. It is forbidden to film private areas such as apartment or garage doors. To simplify matters, you can always opt for a dummy camera !

Active surveillance

A complete alarm system with siren and GSM alert to protect your home.
Advantage : 100% autonomous alarm that monitors and protects your property.
Tip : think carefully about the location of the detectors during installation.

The best defense is offense

Another solution is to attack the burglars. Smoke systems can create a thick fog and block all visibility in just a few seconds. Another defence technique is to lock up possible troublemakers in a specific room. Unfortunately, these defence solutions require a very high investment.

Don’t take any chances against burglars. Don’t intervene yourself, your life is more valuable than a material asset.

What to do if your car or parts are stolen

The first thing to do as soon as you notice a theft is to contact the police station. Opt for the brigade closest to the scene of the incident to ask them to come and take a look. You will start a multi-stage police procedure.

Officers are sent to the site to make initial findings. Collect your testimony and possibly conduct a neighbourhood survey. A forensic scientist will take evidence and fingerprints in the hope of finding the criminals on file. Finally, you must go to the police station or the gendarmerie to file a theft complaint.

How to obtain compensation

In case of theft, your vehicle insurance will compensate you. First of all, check that your insurance contract includes coverage against theft. It is present in all all-risk contracts, but optional in third-party contracts. Don’t forget that the latter is only valid for burglary. Once you have filed a theft claim, you must report the loss to your insurer by mail, e-mail or telephone to initiate compensation proceedings.

Don’t forget to send supporting documents: photos, theft report to the police. Be careful, you only have 2 days to report this claim to your insurer. After this period, you will no longer be able to claim compensation.