A Group of more than 20 business owners attended a meeting at the Stettler Auction Mart on January 20th to discuss security in Stettler’s East Industrial Park. After a rash of break-ins in the area where thousands of dollars of items were stolen and hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage done, the business owners in the area decided more security was necessary.
A contingent of concerned business people including Mike Kuefler, Kelly Hicks, Dean Lovell, Greg Schritter and Don Lynn began patrolling the area themselves as much as possible in late December, but have brought in a professional security company to now patrol the area. The committee agreed that “creating a presence” to deter future criminal activity was the ultimate goal.
Tri-west Security has been hired for the security detail and employs local security professionals who work through the night in monitoring the industrial section. The patrol car is now out 7 nights a week patrolling the area.
The Security Guard stated that he has “already seen an awful lot” and “the patrolling seems to be working”. With a designated car patrolling the area, each business who has opted in to the security watch, gets assessed approximately every 15-20 minutes. The car has no routine, no set schedule and the company works closely and communicates regularly with local law enforcement.
The committee has talked to the town about additional street lights and other security issues in the area, and are looking to research other communities and areas to see what has been working for them.
Tri-west has offered to make site visits to the businesses who are part of the detail, making recommendations on how they can improve their security. They can suggest security camera types and locations, make recommendations on interior and exterior lighting, and more. The security company can also be set up as “First Call” to your alarm company so that when an alarm is triggered at your business they are called first. This ensures the rapid response time needed to deter theft and further damage.
The committee has split up the industrial park into small areas and each committee member has taken on the role of Representative for their list of businesses in their area. Approximately 80% of the businesses have been contacted and encouraged to participate in the security campaign to date. The cost of the service is very reasonable for business owners and is based on business income per year.
Kendra Walgenbach is a Chartered Accountant from Chapman & Co. will be handling all the administration of finances to ensure easy invoicing for the businesses and that the security company is paid properly.
For more information about getting night security for your East Industrial Park business contact Kelly Hicks khicks@stettlerdodge.com or Mike Kueffler at mike@highway12sales.com.
Contributed by Wendy Rairdan, StettlerLocal.com
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