You might not need as much light as you thought.
It’s a long-held belief that light reduces crime, but commercial security systems might not need so much after all. That’s according to a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
The study, which was performed in England and Wales, said, in part, that there was “no evidence for an association between the aggregate count of crime and switch off or part-night lighting.”
What does this mean for the way that we approach crime prevention in the U.S.? Maybe a lot. We already know that most home burglaries happen in the daytime, not at night like what’s in the movies. So maybe lighting or the lack thereof isn’t the problem with commercial security. Maybe it’s all about opportunity. Good thing Sonitrol commercial security systems don’t really need light to work well.
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Sonitrol operators get the same audio alerts regardless of whether it’s bright.
Why Light Doesn’t Matter That Much
Lighting is expensive, but it’s an expense that most businesses have come to accept. It’s not just a drain on your bottom line, either. Because it relies on electricity, which relies on fossil fuels, you could argue that lighting is bad for the environment. That’s not to say that lighting isn’t important for keeping your business safe. It’s just that you might not need as much as you think.
Surrounding your business with floodlights and keeping it lit inside at night probably doesn’t help as much as you think. David Owen for the New Yorker suggests that lighting only helps deter crime in that it helps people or the authorities notice that a crime is happening.
But a motion sensor light that switches on or the concentrated glare of a burglar’s flashlight stand out much more in the dark than the movement of a burglar in an area that’s constantly lit. Sonitrol security systems don’t really need either.
HD cameras also work in little light.
How Sonitrol Works Without Light
One thing that’s great about audio alerts is that they don’t require any light whatsoever to work. It can be pitch black, and an audio sensor will still detect sounds. The audio stream that goes to your Sonitrol operator will still be just as clear.
Add to audio your HD security cameras, and you get better protection, even if it’s not as bright as daytime. HD cameras have much finer detail, which means operators who get an audio alert can still back it up with the additional verification of video, whether or not you have banks of floodlights surrounding the property or all of the lights on inside.
None of this is to say that you don’t need any light. For surveillance cameras in particular, extra lighting can help see areas you might not be able to see otherwise. If you’re spending a fortune on lighting, though, you can cut back and still have excellent security. You’ll still get the same protection from your Sonitrol commercial security system because light might not be as much of a deterrent as you thought, and it has nothing to do with the sounds that a burglar makes.
The classic idea of a burglar is a bad guy skulking around under the cover of darkness. And there’s no denying that darkness does give plenty of cover, but Sonitrol outsmarts all of it.
Audio happens no matter how dark your property is, so Sonitrol audio verification works day or night. And with cameras that still function without daylight or floodlights, you get the same layered protection of audio and video that gives police the right information to catch the bad guy.
Sonitrol of Louisville has helped businesses throughout the area stay safer, and we can help you, too. Give us a call at (502) 966-8999 or contact us online to find out how.
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