Burlgaries in the Southeast

Recently I have seen many articles on the burglaries of various churches. Ah burlaries - I promised. Now here's a topic that is relatively simple compared with Arson but no less devastating in many instances to the minds of the victims.

As I mentioned in the first post ACCESS is everything. A burglar must have access, right. So let's consider some of the key points in the attack tree for a typical burglary.
1. The subject (A1 - attacker one) must defeat the perimeter of the property
2. A1 must defeat the perimeter of the structure (building, shed, rectory, chapel, etc.)
3. A1 must select, gather and prepare asset(s) for removal
4. A1 must transport the selected asset(s) out of the structure and off the property.

Now we can't dictate whether A1 arrives on a bike or with a tractor-trailer so we can't control how much he/she is able to transport away. We can probably also assume that defeating the perimeter and moving to the building are given events - I haven't seen many houses of worship with effective permiter fences. That brings us to the building.

We should want to deter their efforts to gain access and this can be done at many levels, but for now we'll consider signage, illumination, irrigation, and patrols. That's all pretty straightforward. Signs that indicate that an alarm system is in use - I really dislike offering this advice if there is no alarm system because any thief worth his weight will have determined this ahead of time - but it can't hurt all the same. Lighting that makes the intruder more visible to passersby - thereby increasing the perceived risk of detection. This has only a psychological impact if the property is already well concealed from passing traffic. It is also possible to have sprinkler systems set to be activated by motion sensors. This may sound silly, but have sprinklers and lights activate together will likely spark the response of running away prior to any decision to continue. It may also cause the intruder to make some noise out of complete annoyance. The options for enhancing this are nearly endless depending on the intention. Heck it even result in a some amusing video. On an incidental note - a well soaked intruder may be easier for the police to identify while escaping.

Now the topic of patrols. This may be police, a security service, or passersby (such as congregation members) that have agreed to communicate or document findings. Again, creativity here can save some money, but sometimes it's just worth paying some to check in periodically. This option should also be considered in advance as a contingency. If a series of buglaries - or vandalism for that matter - occur to other houses of worship in your area it might be time to activate that pre-agreed upon contract with a security provider to begin periodic patraols. This may be just enough to move the micreants to another location and the service could be ended whenever they may be caught by the authorities.

So there are few thoughts on preventing burglaries outside the building. There are many more but want to try and keep this as short as possible. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts. Next we'll look at methods useful from within the building. Remember water is relatively harmless, cheap and can create the opportunity for footprints or identifying the burglar. Oh yea, there is the amusement factor as well.

Rob
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