SitexOrbis at riot frontline protecting local communities and businesses

People and property protection specialists SitexOrbis is at the frontline of the riots affecting towns and cities across the UK using steel screens to protect businesses and property likely to be targeted.

Featured on yesterday’s BBC London News at 6pm. SitexOrbis security screens have been installed on shops and offices across the capital from Hackney in the east to Ealing in the west, as well as in Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol to protect local communities and businesses from devastating damage and looting which have seen some businesses burnt to the ground.

Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health at the Association of British Insurers, said the damage would cost £10s of millions to put right. The British Retail Council agreed and said that some businesses would not recover from the damage caused. Mark Cosh, European director at SitexOrbis warned that normal security measures were not enough. "All facilities managers running properties from council offices and public buildings to shops and offices should review their buildings’ security and look to take advice in areas under threat. We have already seen looters breaking through traditional wood boarding to re-enter premises which were deemed secure."

Steel screens are more robust than traditional wooden boarding, are easy to fit and cause less damage to fixtures and fittings and are less susceptible to fire, he added.

Cosh also called on organisations to consider improving the protection offered to their people. Those organisations employing lone workers in urban areas have a legal responsibility to ensure their safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. Simple mobile-based technology such as a dedicated speed dial set up on a standard mobile phone linking through to an alarm response centre will provide an increased level of safety.

 "Organisations need to be aware that if one of their employees is caught up in the violence and they have done nothing to protect them, they could be at risk of a fine, or worse. Changing work patterns during the disturbances or using simple mobile based support can help to alleviate the risk," he said.

Keep your property safe, secure and monitored 24/7 with SitexOrbis