2026 construction-crime research again found incidents clustering in autumn and winter. Reduced daylight is an invitation. If your last trade leaves at 16:30 in Aberdeen, Newcastle or Norwich, the site is dark for 14 hours. Plan for that, not for a July evening in Bristol.

Cheap wins before you add officers

Working lights on the compound, a lockable tool store, no ladders left as climbing aids, and a single controlled gate. Then add people. Lighting without a response is a film set for thieves in Birmingham, Leeds and east London alike.

Night patrol pattern

SIA-licensed nights 19:00–07:00, start at the actual gate, QR on plant, welfare, fence and roof access. Torch on auto. Incidents with photos. That pattern works on a Glasgow high-rise frame, a Plymouth marine job, a Cardiff inner-city plot and a Hull food-factory extension.

Budget pressure is not a strategy

Cutting CCTV towers to save money while tool theft rises is how programmes slip. If you must cut, cut duplication, not the night gate. We will say no to an unsafe one-person brief on a 15-acre unlit site in Doncaster or Milton Keynes.

Frequently asked questions

When should winter cover start?

Before clocks change. Do not wait for the first theft in November.

Do you supply lighting towers?

We specify them. Guarding is our core; we coordinate with your plant hire.

Are weekends a bigger risk?

Often yes. Friday cash-in-transit of tools is a classic. Staff Fridays and Sundays accordingly.

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