Most office thefts aren’t break-ins. They’re someone who walked in behind a staff member, took the stairs, and tried every door.
Wellington’s office buildings, from CBD high-rises to two-storey blocks in Petone and Lower Hutt, share the same weak spots. Here’s what we see most often, and what helps.
The stair walker
A “stair walker” slips into a building, then works through the stairwell floor by floor, trying doors and looking for an unattended laptop, phone or wallet. They’re often gone before anyone realises something’s missing.
What helps:
- Access control on stairwell doors, so the stairs can be used to leave but a card is needed to enter each floor.
- Stairwell and lift-lobby cameras, positioned to show faces at doors, so you can see where someone went and when.
- Door-held-open alerts, so a stairwell door propped open is noticed quickly.
Tailgating at the front door
The easiest way in is behind someone who has a card. Staff are polite, and nobody wants to shut the door on a person carrying a box.
What helps:
- A foyer camera that clearly records everyone entering.
- Access records, so you can match a time on camera to a card swipe, or spot that there wasn’t one.
- An intercom for visitors and couriers, so they don’t need to wait for someone to let them in.
Lost keys and staff turnover
In a multi-tenant building, keys multiply. Every time someone leaves without returning a key, or one goes missing, the safe answer is changing locks.
What helps: cards and codes instead of keys. They can be cancelled from a phone or computer in seconds, and access can be limited by floor, door and time of day.
After hours
Cleaners, contractors and tenants working late all need access, but an empty building at 2am is where most real break-ins happen.
What helps: video monitoring. When an alarm triggers, the monitoring team checks the cameras first. False alarms (a cleaner, a tenant who forgot their code) are filtered out, and if an intruder is confirmed, Police can be called straight away, without paying a security guard to drive out.
Where to start
Every building is different, so we start with a free site assessment. We walk the building with you, look at how it’s used and where it may be exposed, then give you a written plan and quote to consider.
Call 06 216 1500 or book a free site visit.
