As a Michigan based company with offices in Flint, Saginaw, and Detroit, Teachout Security Solutions is no stranger to the criminal threat to private property that has been increasing throughout the nation. For the past 35 years we have worked with numerous clients to develop a proactive plan to keep our homes protected.
Recently, a crime spike in several neighborhoods across the U.S. and around the world have citizens calling on private security firms to prevent crimes. Slow response times by local police and an inadequate number of officers, some citizens say, are causing crime rates to rise. An increase in garbage dumping, drug crimes, vandalism, car prowls, burglaries, thefts and other crimes have citizens worried and looking to private security agencies for extra help. Citizens and business owners in; Ballard, Queen Anne and Magnolia, in the Greater Seattle Area; Honolulu, Hawaii; Orange County, Florida; and Essex, UK, among others, are pooling their funds for extra security.
Property crime in Queen Anne and Ballard spiked in 2013 and 2014, respectively, and has been steadily increasing in Magnolia. Person crime, including homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, holds steady in Magnolia and Queen Anne, and increased in Ballard up to 2015. At the start of 2016, residents disappointed in police response gathered to demand that more be done. With the Seattle police department already employing a record number of officers, there was little more the police could offer. Instead, neighborhood associations assembled a security patrol service, asking residents for an annual fee of $250 to pay for extra security. While the security officers cannot make arrests or apprehend criminals as police officers would, the extra surveillance from trained individuals provides an additional deterrent. Petty crimes, vagrancy and robberies are less likely to occur if someone is watching.
In January, a similar increase of violent attacks in Chinatown in Honolulu, HA spurred business owners to increase security. While some businesses in the area already employed security guards to keep their assets safe after close, the increase in crime had area business owners banding together for a more organized, comprehensive security service. While additional police officers were dispatched to watch the area following the attacks, business owners maintain that a private security firm would help to prevent robberies and ensure the area’s reputation as a safe neighborhood wouldn’t suffer.
In Orange County, FL, a call for extra security from a private agency came from the police. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings proposed a $150,000 budget for additional security in two neighborhoods, Azalea Park and Holden Heights. Residents and business owners in both areas responded positively to the idea, saying extra security was needed and encouraged. Money seized from drug dealers would provide the extra $150,000.
Across the Atlantic in the UK, Frinton-on-Sea in Essex is doing the same. 300 residents in the small town pay a private security firm £2 a week for nightly patrols. Frinton does not have a police station and relies on bike patrolmen or additional officers from the neighboring town of Clacton-on-Sea , which has a much higher crime rate. While the private security officers cannot make arrests, the additional security provides a crime deterrent.
As police departments take on more crimes, often with fewer numbers, private security guards paid for by citizens or police departments will take on a larger degree of public safety. With more eyes and ears, citizens can rest easier knowing they are protected.
For information on how we can help protect your home, please contact us at 1-800-747-0755 or info@91f472feb0.nxcli.net to speak with a Business Development Manager.