Compared with all other threats, construction site theft is the number one cause of losses each year.
The construction industry is now more vulnerable to theft than ever before. Inflation and supply chain bottlenecks have made it more difficult for contractors to obtain building materials, which means those materials are of higher value to construction companies and thieves alike.
This year, the state of Colorado indicted a group of six California men who burglarized over 36 construction sites across Colorado in 2021. All told, they stole over $1 million in tools, materials, and equipment and caused $27,000 or more in property damage. A construction company in Lafayette, Colorado identified the suspects in this organized crime ring during a burglary, which helped police link them to the rest of their crimes across the state, leading to their capture.
One project manager for HE Homes in Indiana says that his company catches 80% of the people who try to steal from his construction sites because of their robust site security system. While real-time alerts give the company a chance to dispatch authorities to the site, the cameras help identify important details like vehicles, the number of thieves, personal descriptions, and in which direction they escaped. The Republic News quoted the project manager saying, “We have an excellent capture rate because of our cameras.” He added, “If you look at the more reputable and professional builders, they use cameras and alarms because they want to catch people and discourage thievery.”
The unfortunate reality is that theft-related losses are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean contractors are powerless to mitigate their risk. Download 8 Ways to Protect Against Jobsite Theft to learn how to boost the effectiveness of your construction site security strategy.
