Property security
broken into or damaged.” explained Smith Umoren, estates manager, Property Services, NHS North Central London.
Asset stripping Vacant buildings are often left with all electrical and plumbing intact; this is a huge draw for criminal activity. Metal theft has been happening for as long as there was metal to steal, and vacant properties are a perfect source for thieves looking to strip wiring and piping from a building. The stolen wiring and piping is then sold on to scrap metal dealers. Not only is this practice illegal; it is often dangerous too. In some cases, the power remains live to buildings, and when thieves break in to steal wires, they unknowingly cut through a live wire and electrocute themselves, resulting in severe injury or death. The requirement to protect a building against this kind of activity is paramount, not only in protecting the structural integrity of a property, but equally to prevent harm coming to opportunistic thieves. Installing a guardian at a property ensures that while restorative work is being done, equipment is left intact, and the risk of fatality is minimised.
Vandalism The Wolverhampton Eye Infirmary, which has been closed since 2007, is costing the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust £40,000 per year to secure, but the damage being done to the building by vandals and arsonists has depreciated the value of the building so drastically that the Trust is struggling to find a buyer. The time will come when the cost of securing the building will exceed the site’s value. In many cases, the damage caused by anti-social behaviour and vandalism will result in high repair costs, not to mention the drain on fire, police, and ambulance services, when trespassers make their way into the building and wreak havoc.
Community benefit Hospitals, by definition, provide a service to the community, but when that hospital or healthcare site is closed, the service does not necessarily have to stop. The onset of anti-social behaviour in vacant buildings can have long-term, negative effects on the surrounding area, felt by the entire community, compounded
Fig. 1: A cost comparison model illustrating ‘typical’ cost savings achievable utilising Ad Hoc ‘property guardianship’ as opposed to a more ‘traditional’ security solution.
by the upheaval caused when a hospital or other healthcare facility relocates or closes down. While the NHS is sometimes at the brunt of local complaints, and negative press coverage in respect of local resources being removed, by repurposing the buildings the blow to the local community is softened, and negative feelings are reduced. By utilising the empty site as cost- effective housing, the wider community is not only encouraged by the prospect of additional housing, but can also see that the building is being lived in – deterring anti-social behaviour and criminal activity.
Property guardians attracted to Kent site
When Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust decided that a number of administrative and medical buildings would be ‘wound down’, and departments transferred to other buildings, it was necessary to find a cost-effective solution
Ad Hoc Property Management
Ad Hoc Property Management claims to be Europe’s leading vacant property protection specialist, with 20 years’ experience in the field. The company was founded in the Netherlands in 1990, and established its first office in the UK in 2006. Over the years, Ad Hoc has considerably expanded its activity,
and now employs 150 staff in 17 branches, including at nine offices across the UK. In addition to ‘live-in’ property guardians, its services including alarm systems, security guards, and commercial guardians – all either available independently, or as a bespoke package.
to deterring anti-social behaviour. After exhausting alternative options, the Trust decided to install 10 property guardians into the vacant buildings.
Anti-social behaviour ceased, helped by the fact that the building was obviously in use, and that the grounds were maintained, with early fly tipping quickly halted. Without protective measures it is likely that the building would have been broken into, and assets stripped, or possibly blighted by squatters. Local workforce guardians from all walks of life now occupy the building, and were attracted to it due to a low licence fee, and large rooms, and in the knowledge that they would be in situ for about a year.
Thinking ‘outside the box’ To summarise, by ‘thinking outside the box’, estates and facilities managers can make significant savings by exploring alternative security solutions. By preventing sites from becoming vacant and falling into disrepair, the value of the buildings is maintained, local communities rest easy, and financial savings can be redirected into more worthwhile areas. It really is a case of prevention is better than cure when it comes to securing large-scale assets or small units – and with the positive spin-off that people get a home at a fraction of the price pegged by the commercial market. Property guardianship surely has to be a welcome strategic tool for any healthcare estates manager?
Health Estate Journal 63September 2016
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