Rest in peace - or so we hope...

In light of some recent news concerning the recent sentencing of a few cemetery vandals, let's consider this issue of protecting cemeteries.

I can’t say I understand why anyone would damage a cemetery or any part of it, but apparently there are many who think it’s entertainment. Cemeteries and memorial gardens have little in the way of assets - in a traditional sense. What you find in a cemetery generally has little resale value or ability for reuse. I’m certain, without a doubt, that there are exceptions to this; possibly gold trim, or ornaments, or something like that. Anyway, what is being protected has more to do with the idea that the dead should “rest in peace" than protecting assets - at least in my opinion.

Typically cemetery vandalism has to do with tipping headstones - defacing or rearranging them - and similar acts of mischief. On rare occasions there is the grave robbery. One notable recent occurrence is the grave robbery at the Newchurch Guinea Pig Farm in the UK where animal liberation extremists (including this group) stole the remains of a family relative (see here and here). The goal was to drive the farm owners to shut down the guinea pig operation. And, it was successful. There have been arrests but the damage is done.

So how then do you protect a cemetery? These are places that are often left quiet and unoccupied (at least by living souls) for considerable amounts of time. Oh, and dark - cemeteries are not generally illuminated at night. The other issue is to allow legitimate users access - as is the norm anyway.

Since most acts of vandalism occur during the hours of darkness, and there are generally fewer (if any) legitimate users, it's probably best to focus efforts on this time period. How then is the best way, generally speaking, to manage access during the hours of darkness?

We'’re right back at the 4D's -– Deter, Detect, Delay, Deny. Let's face it, vandals are not typically professionals. I mean there are professional thieves, robbers, and burglars, but have you ever heard of a professional vandal? Assuming this to be the case, it becomes an issue of making it more difficult to gain access -– delay. This does not mean that deterrents are ignored or that an attempt is made to detect intrusions.

Cemeteries generally have a fence or wall around them. The size and construction of this barrier can have real merit. Wrought iron fences are common and they create a worthy obstacle for climbing over. With few, if any, cross bars it is difficult to use the legs to assist with the climb. So there is a barrier that provides a delay - which in and of itself provides a further deterrent value since it's far easier to lose interest after a little unsuccessful effort.

Now it's also worthwhile to consider a few other features depending on whether the threat warrants them - and this is purely a judgment call. Like motion activated lighting, motion activated sprinklers, and a detection system - either a traditional alarm system or a monitored video system. There are many factors that may affect these potential options. One relatively simple option at this point might be to have a motion activated CCTV system to work in conjunction with motion activated lighting. There is some deterrent value in this - especially if signage is also used - but the additional CCTV system will assist with any investigations as well.

There can be little down doubt that an interactive monitored CCTV system would be an ideal application of technology in this environment. There are a couple of key reasons for this: One is the power of speaking to vandals - it can be very distracting to your activities when you here someone explaining to you that you're being videotaped and the police have been notified - and the site would not generally need a very high level of involvement. It would much like having a security officer on call.

For the really bad locations it may be best to use several options including onsite manned security posts. By far this is the most expensive but it also provides puts a lot of capability at the hotspot.