A retailer in Kerrisdale was the victim of a burglary over the weekend where the crooks gained access by cutting a hole through the wall.
The space next door to the burglarized store was vacant, which provided a perfect opportunity for at least one crook to spend a fair bit of time, with power tools, cutting a hole into the adjoining space.
The burglar gained access to the empty space by spiraling out the weak lock (the photo to the right shows the hole left after the lock was removed on the bottom of the glass door), 
which is very common on metal framed doors. This allowed the thief to work undetected in the empty space… where he plugged in a reciprocating saw and cut through drywall and 3/4 inch plywood to make a hole large enough to sneak into the adjoining space.
Thankfully, it appears as if the crook was spooked once he got inside the space as he left before stealing anything… but left a substantial mess behind.
This method of entry is quite common in commercial spaces. Many offices only have one door, often giving business owners a false sense of security that a single door contact and motion detector at the door will be enough to detect an intruder. As the photos attest, it’s not.
The lesson to be learned is that you must secure your entire perimeter, not just the front and back of your space. In cases like this, we install vibration and shock sensors on all perimeter walls. These are mounted on the drywall and will trip the alarm as soon as any banging, vibration or wall movement is detected.
Extending your security detection to your entire perimeter is especially important for retailers, or other commercial spaces, with high value goods that are located next to a poorly secured establishment.
We warn all of our high-risk clients (such as retailers selling menswear, eyewear, jewelery and electronics–essentially items that are easily re-sold) that are situated next to a restaurant, florist or other type of ‘lower risk’ location that they must assume that a crook will first break into their neighbour’s space in order to break through to their actual target.
Don’t make the common mistake of installing detection only at the front and back of your store… while leaving the sides and ceiling at risk.