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Sales: 0808 175 4117 Support: 0344 477 9991 Contact Us Staff & Client Login It’ll come as no surprise that security in a warehouse is one of the biggest considerations for the industry. With the sector thought to contribute around £127 billion to the UK economy, and reports only forecasting further growth across the country’s key logistics hubs, warehouse security measures take on renewed importance.
But while many are aware of its significance, it’s not easy to know what’s right for security at your warehouse. That’s where ProFM’s latest guide comes in. We’ve compiled a range of essential tips, insider knowledge, and key statistics you’ll need to know to keep staff, assets, and stock safe around the clock.
Warehouse security focuses on keeping staff safe and secure, as well as supervising stock and assets at all times to minimise theft and damage. That can be through both physical security (such as security personnel, gatehouse checkpoints, and perimeter fencing) and electronic measures like CCTV cameras and intruder alarms.
We’ll delve into more detail on those specifics and why they’re important in our complete warehouse security checklist below.
Perhaps one of the more well-recognised security measures in a warehouse, security guards (also called personnel or officers) are the bread and butter of what we do at ProFM. It’s that expertise, as well as our extensive work at places like Lloyd’s Transport, that we feel puts us in the ideal position to discuss what security personnel can offer your warehouse.
All trained to expert standards and fully licensed by the SIA, warehouse security officers offer far more than the excellent deterrent that many view them as. They’re able to proactively patrol your site, offering that comforting presence to both staff and visitors, as well as position themselves strategically at points of concern across your premises.
Their expertise doesn’t stop there, either. We’ve seen time and again in our work providing warehouse security solutions where officers become a “part of the family”. That could be as simple as locking and unlocking offices or storerooms each morning and evening, but we’ve seen it extend as far as delivering staff inductions and enforcing health and safety rules.
That helps solidify them as part of your warehouse’s day-to-day operations and reassures both customers and staff that they’re there to help. That’s all part and parcel of public trust in security personnel, and cements your warehouse security solutions as doing their part in building that trust.
Any visitors to your warehouse – whether that’s authorised delivery traffic, maintenance vehicles, or staff coming and going – will no doubt see your gatehouse first. It’s what establishes the tone, and lays out how seriously you take the importance of warehouse security.
It’s also unfortunately where a lot of premises let themselves down. While traffic management is an integral part of those duties, there’s a huge security-focused element to that, and warehouse security personnel help alleviate some of those issues. That’s something we’ve seen first-hand.
One of the key duties of any warehouse security officer positioned at a gatehouse or entrance position is checking in vehicles and ensuring they’re fully compliant with the demands of your site. That’s essential for larger-scale facilities, but no less important for smaller, more localised distribution centres.
That can be scaled to as stringent as it needs to be, too. Any robust distribution centre or warehouse needs its security standards to match the job at hand, and implementing technology (such as airport scanners for drivers, or rigorous vehicle inspections) goes a long way towards reinforcing that.
While it’s always best to be proactive with your warehouse security measures, incidents can and do happen. While it can be devastating, much of the recovery comes from how you respond to those issues.
We’ll discuss the key issues facing our warehousing sector in a later section, but suffice it to say that thieves and trespassers know where to target, and how to target them. Here’s where a bigger deterrent comes to the fore, and where we tend to recommend strengthening your warehouse security with a canine handler.
Canine handling officers are, as you’d expect, supported by a trained four-legged companion. For this, we’d strongly advise looking for providers who can offer canine officers who have full accreditation from the National Association of Security Dog Users (NASDU) – this is the gold standard for any canine security, and ensures you’re getting the exact solution you need.
Not only that, but the additional bonus of a canine officer is that they’re usually self-sufficient, meaning you won’t need to make special accommodations for the officer or their canine. This makes them an ideal option for those facilities that are more remote or that lack the neighbourly support of other warehouses.
Security technology has experienced a transformation in the last few years. If you’ve spent any time looking at warehouse security systems, you’ll have seen how they’ve evolved to match the expectations we all have for our tech. What can be more difficult is choosing what you need, and here’s where a supplier like ProFM excels.
Every warehouse is unique, and it makes sense that the security measures for that warehouse should be equally so. The epitome of that comes from CCTV surveillance, and how that’s moulded to suit your demands.
What we mean by that isn’t just cameras at different angles that help cover high-value areas or blind spots. While that’s essential for any security cameras in a warehouse, it’s also only the foundation of any good solution.
You’re likely to have areas that have more complex requirements and that have specific access prerequisites (more on that shortly). The more effective security solutions for a warehouse consider those needs and blend cutting-edge technology and strategic camera placement to offer uncompromising coverage.
There’s also the implementation of AI to consider. Now pervasive across so many aspects of life, from smartphones and search engines to the written word, security cameras are no different. Here, the tech is used to identify threats rapidly and with minimal false activations – a welcome change for many, and an intelligent usage of the emerging technology.
Ultimately, any security cameras for a warehouse or other distribution premises act as that supporting “first line of defence” for your physical presence, and give that constant, consistent overview you need to feel secure.
Almost every warehouse will have off-limits areas. That could be staff rooms and offices, storage that requires specific clearance (such as expensive technology, or as-yet-unreleased products) or security-only areas (like gatehouses). It stands to reason that these areas need more robust protection, and limits on who can get in.
Access control systems allow for that to be enforced seamlessly, and with minimal input beyond the initial installation phases and any necessary maintenance or servicing. At ProFM, that’s an area we’ve cultivated a stellar reputation for, building solutions that suit a diverse range of warehouses and their security demands.
We alluded to our ongoing work with Lloyd’s Transport earlier, and access controls took on a massive importance here. They often handle exceptionally valuable and classified products, having built a reputation as a major player in haulage, storage and processing for some of the world’s biggest and most recognisable brands.
Here, access controls are used to exceptional effect, keeping those more sensitive or restricted areas separate with consummate ease. That’s something we’re able to tailor for your warehouse security needs, too.
Whether that’s in the more tried-and-tested measures like ID badges and key fobs, or the high-tech approach in facial recognition or biometrics (fingerprints or retinal scanning, for instance), we’re able to adapt.
Often viewed as one of the more basic measures for safety and security in a warehouse, it stands to reason that an intruder alarm should be just as robust and well-thought-out as the rest of your warehouse security solutions.
We’d advise this as being one of the first steps you take. Not only does it set the tone for how you secure your warehouse, but it’s also an integral part of any additional measures you have in place. Take a warehouse security guard as a great intersection between that tech and your more physical measures.
They’re able to be the first on the scene if the alarm activates, and deliver the solutions you’d expect from an expertly trained officer. That includes addressing any false activations (thought to account for around 90% of all alarm activations, according to government resources) and responding swiftly and appropriately in the event of trespassing.
It also means you’re able to take advantage of some of the more budget-friendly warehouse security options. Chief among these is an alarm response and key holding service, which allows for a trained professional to be deployed to your property the moment an alarm is detected.
While we’ve discussed the more nuanced aspects of security at warehouses, there’s little substitute for an effective perimeter. Of course, mobile security patrols will serve to strengthen that, but what we mean here is the building blocks of a safe and well-secured site – fencing, security lighting and barriers.
For the bulk of sites, these will already be in place, which is why they’re one of the bookends of our warehouse security checklist. This could be because they’re part of an industrial estate or built-up area, or that the initial developer thought to install these as part of the building process.
However, if you’re a brand-new warehouse, and security is a major consideration, fencing and security lighting (as well as any barriers, bollards or other entryways) should be top of the agenda. That’s true for any warehouse and, as we’ll discuss in our next section, an integral part of keeping criminals and trespassers at bay.
Here, we’d advise opting for a tailor-made approach, and one that takes into consideration key measures around key factors like:
Lighting also plays a pivotal role in all of this. We’d recommend opting for motion-activated lighting (to offer that additional early warning system for any intrusions) and prioritising a more static solution over a mobile or temporary one.
Security for a warehouse can seem like a complex consideration, but there’s plenty of good reasoning behind it. Crime rates are well-publicised, and it’ll no doubt feel to those in the industry like every week brings with it more cause for concern.
That’s perhaps the crux of many warehouse security issues, and the statistics only make for further grim reading. The latest report from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), issued in late 2022, explores the scale of the problem at hand, placing the estimated cost of freight theft at £428 million, or just shy of half a billion pounds.
The exposé goes on to discuss how Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) are at the centre of some of the main issues facing theft from warehouses and distribution centres, and how these are prevalent across some of the major transit areas of the UK, and operate with ruthless efficiency and mobility.
But while that’s at the core of the problem, it’s far from the only issue facing the warehousing industry. Statistics published by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) delved more into the reverberations those criminals have across the sector, finding that, in 2023 alone, there were an estimated 5,373 instances of HGV and crime theft. That’s around 103 every day.
Those thefts alone cost the industry around £68 million directly, which translates to the earlier figure we touched on from NaVCIS (£428 million) when we take into account the cost to retailers and wholesalers. It’s an eye-watering figure, and only goes to further show the importance of effective warehouse security measures.
That only worsens when we narrow our purview to specific supply chains and warehouses. The BSI reported in early 2024 that the theft of food and beverages had skyrocketed in recent years by 29% – a figure that now represents almost a third of all thefts in supply chains.
There are also the hidden impacts of that crime. Lorry curtain tears and damage can cost hundreds of pounds to fix. Customer faith and confidence are so often tarnished, which simply can’t be quantified. That’s not touching on the mental health ramifications of the crimes themselves, especially when they’re so targeted and remorseless in their approach.
Last year, the BBC reported on how the impact of freight crime was ultimately leading hauliers and those in the industry to leave the sector altogether. Stress levels for HGV operators are at an all-time high, and without the right security at warehouses, lorry parks, and even on the roads, we run the risk of losing some of Britain’s hardest-working hauliers.
While we won’t claim to be able to offer the security outlined by the UK government in March 2024, ProFM’s proven track record as a trusted provider of warehouse security solutions means we’re ideally positioned to offer the coverage you need to do your part in protecting drivers, staff members, stock and assets.
We’ve continually been at the top of the UK’s security rankings, with 2 of those years as a standalone leader in our industry. That’s further supported by our long-standing work with clients across the full spectrum of the warehousing and logistics sector, from high-end electronics, to food service to textiles.
Every venture and every warehouse security package we provide is unique and designed to exceed your demands at every turn. It’s coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the industry and the challenges it faces, as you’ve hopefully seen with this article on the golden warehouse security standards.
That’s expertise we’ll translate to whatever you store, and however you store it. From SC-cleared officers who are reserved for the most covert of operations to warehouse security guards who’ve got extensive gatehouse experience, we’ll get to know you and your premises on a deeper level and use that understanding to build a tailored package.
For a bespoke solution for security at your warehouse or distribution centre, reach out to our in-house experts today.
ProFM Group is a leading cross-industry security provider, supplying reliable and effective security services to businesses and organisations across the UK. To find out more about how ProFM Group can support your business and its operations, get in touch with us today.
