COMMERCIAL CRIME SPARKS RISE IN ENDUSER ENQUIRIES AT HERAS

Heras is seeing a continued trend of site owners and landlords bypassing main contractors and facilities management companies by making enquiries directly about ways that they can secure their premises – often because they have been the victims of crime.

The Doncaster-based company – which is one of Europe’s leading end-to-end suppliers of permanent and mobile perimeter protection solutions – started seeing a spike in enquiries in the last quarter of 2022, and this has continued into this year. The company says that it has seen an overall rise of 20% in enquiries during this period and is predicting that this trend is set to continue.

Charlie Marr, the company’s Enquiry Process Manager, said that he is coming across more instances where companies are acting fast in contacting Heras directly because their sites have been compromised and are not secure.

He cites one example of a fleet hire company that was targeted by criminals, who broke into its compound and damaged vehicles. He tells of another company that kept its main gate open during trading hours and thieves were able to wander onto its site at will, forcing open employees’ cars.

Charlie said that Heras is starting to see a perfect storm of an increase in crime against commercial sites and the number of premises that are not as secure as they should be.

“I’m hearing more stories of businesses assuming that their existing perimeter protection was sufficient – only to find out to their cost that it wasn’t!” he said.

“What’s really interesting to see is that these businesses are contacting Heras directly – when the usual route for such enquiries is through contractors or facilities management companies. This highlights their urgency in needing to shore up their security.

“As a side note, it’s also fascinating to unearth just how much link chain fencing is still out there – and companies assuming that this is up to the job of keeping their businesses safe and protecting what they value.”

Charlie said that enquiries for its prison-grade mesh fencing are at an all-time high, with businesses needing not only to secure their perimeters but also to have very visible deterrents.

Heras’s Zenith range – which includes Zenith SR1, Zenith SR2, and Zenith SR3 – offers a high level of protection against vandalism, intrusion, and even terrorist activity, thanks to its anti-climb 358 mesh system. Each Zenith system has been designed to meet a range of security needs and has been rigorously tested by the Building Research Establishment to gain the necessary security ratings (SRs) to meet industry standards. The systems are also Loss PreventionCertification Board (LPCB) certified and endorsed by the police approval platform Secured by Design.

But enquiries are not just focused on securing perimeters, according to Charlie. There is also recognition of improvements that are needed to a site’s entrance control.

As reported in the December ’22 edition of Fencing and Landscaping News, the reintroduction of the Delta sliding gate after a six-year absence in the UK market has proven to be a masterstroke by Heras as the go-to solution for commercial sites.

Delta comes in two models and has opening widths ranging from 3m to 9.5m for single gates or 6m to 19m for the double-gate option. Its gate heights range from 1.8m to 2.5m, and it is one of the fastest sliding gates on the market at a rate of up to 0.5m per second for each gate, providing a possible speed of 1m per second on double gates.

Charlie summed up by saying: “We are experts in perimeter protection solutions, and while we’re used to dealing directly with contractors and facilities management companies, we’re equally happy supporting end-users so they can keep their sites secure with industry-leading products – which come with full back-up and support.”

For more information visit www.heras.co.uk.