19 January 2012: Haulage firms look to slash security costs dramatically
19/01/2012
Haulage companies frustrated by the cost and poor performance of conventional security measures are looking to use PulseSecure electric fence technology to cut their security bills.
Recently it was widely reported that Newport Caravans had cut its security expenditure by £50,000 annually by replacing security guards with a PulseSecure electric security barrier system. The electrified perimeter has proved totally effective at keeping out criminals, confirms proprietor Rob Lynch, and it’s easy to operate and maintain.
“We have real peace of mind with this system – and it paid for itself in the first nine months,” comments Mr Lynch. “There's no question, I would recommend it to any business worried about crime.”
Now haulage firms are looking to achieve similar benefits. Since an article was published in the Road Haulage Association's official magazine, Roadway, last month (‘Shock Tactics’ page 16, December ) which investigated the legality of electrified perimeter systems, several companies have already requested surveys for the technology.
“We did two site surveys for haulage operators in December and have more visits lined-up in January, based purely on the press coverage in Roadway last month," says David Stamp, of Arbus, one of Harper Chalice's Accredited Dealers.
"There’s a lot of interest because many people didn’t even know that electrification of fences, wall toppings and building structures was an option. Once businesses look at the potential cost savings, it’s a very attractive proposition compared with other measures.”
One of the haulage operators that Arbus has been speaking to has tried numerous ways to keep intruders out.
“They’ve tried welding the palisade pales, lining the fence with metal sheeting, installing a concrete upstand to prevent people crawling through, and using beams and automatic tracking, with monitored cameras. On top of the fence is razor wire with an anti-climb paint – but the problems have persisted.”
Not only does the British-made PulseSecure ‘hit back’ at would-be criminals – acting as a powerful deterrent - it gives reliable early warning at the very moment when somebody attempts to get into any site. It can be mounted onto fences, walls and even roofs, and because the system is not prone to ‘false alarms’, any alert can be trusted as genuine, so an immediate response by police or security staff is triggered.
“The systems never sleeps, it never misses anything, and it never makes mistakes,” says Graham Harper, Harper Chalice's MD.
In fact, as well as helping local businesses, PulseSecure is also being used at some of the highest security sites around the country – from well-known visitor attractions and city centre sites, up to nuclear power stations.
It has been extensively tested by official agencies to prove its effectiveness under attack, and it is also approved under the police ‘Secured by Design’ programme (police preferred specification).