Drone security: more efficient protection of large areas

EUROCASH1, the first company in the Baltics to launch drone security this year, plans to expand this service rapidly. Experience shows that employing drones can make the protection of large areas more efficient and save clients up to 50% of their security budget, depending on the characteristics of the object. Experts at the security company predict that in the coming years, most manufacturing and construction companies with production or facility areas of more than 60,000 m2, as well as solar power plants and private home communities, will want to use drone protection.

Ernestas Petrauskas, Head of EUROCASH1 in Lithuania, notes that drones’ usefulness has recently been mentioned more often in the context of warfare, but their functionality is constantly expanding and can be effectively used for peaceful purposes, such as providing security services.

Drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras, video cameras, spotlights, and loudspeakers can perform patrols and deterrence more efficiently than humans, making it more cost-effective to use them to protect large areas of rough terrain during daylight hours and especially during darkness. By detecting offenders, drones can deter malicious actions, inform about the detection of an offense, encourage the cessation of unlawful actions, and monitor and record the movement of offenders. Until the security crew arrives on the scene, drones gather valuable clues. To provide this service, EUROCASH1 has chosen drones that can change their battery autonomously and stay in the air practically around the clock.

Drones help “Kauno Tiltai” protect a stretch of more than 100 km and spend half as much on protection.

Early adopters’ experiences have shown that using a drone can reduce the monthly security budget by up to 50% by using fewer security guards and outsourcing security to a security company.

A few weeks ago, the most significant transport infrastructure construction company in the Baltics, Kauno Tiltai, ordered drone security. The construction company has more than 100 kilometers of work on the new site, where ensuring the protection of the construction process and physical assets is essential. Although CCTV cameras monitor the site, it is not always accessible to vehicles, and hiring security guards for such a large area is exceptionally costly. In addition, they would have to cover long patrol routes regularly, and the size of the protected areas, the rugged terrain, and the changing weather conditions would limit their ability to react quickly to violations.

“We were looking for a more modern solution than physical protection of the facility, and we were interested in EUROCASH1’s proposal to use drones,” says Aldas Rusevičius, the head of Kauno Tiltai, “It is important for us that we receive information about violations immediately, we don’t have to control the security guards, and the drones’ video recordings capture what is happening in our facilities.”

EUROCASH1 currently protects 25 Kauno Tiltai facilities, including four production bases. “Kauno Tiltai has been using this security company’s services for almost 12 years.

Interest in drone protection grows with the proliferation of electric fleets for prevention and deterrence.

“Construction and manufacturing companies with many sites, large production facilities, and areas where they store materials and products are most interested in security services. With the rapid growth of solar power plants in Lithuania, drones can become an indispensable tool to ensure their security. Professionally equipped drones can provide more efficient and cost-effective protection of facilities both during and after work,” explains E. Petrauskas.

Petrauskas also notes that drones can inspect solar power plants, providing an additional benefit. With thermal imaging, it is possible to quickly see which solar modules have become inefficient and are reducing the plant’s overall capacity.

According to EUROCASH1’s CEO, drones add the most value to security services for construction and road-building companies, factories, forestry, and agricultural companies. Quality patrols at any time of the day or night make them an effective preventive tool.

“Communities of private houses are also interested in drone security,” says E. Petrauskas. In recent years, dozens of settlements have been built in and around major cities, and they are working together on site-security issues. They are also considering using drones to protect the tranquility of their settlements.

According to Petrauskas, security drones can monitor the assigned territory from a height of several kilometers. If a violation is detected or an operator is instructed to do so, the drones can land and become visible and audible to people, drawing their attention.

“Knowing that the image is being captured, we discipline protected area staff, residents, and potential violators. We have noticed that introducing drones has reduced attempts to infringe on property and attempts by unauthorized people to enter drone-protected areas,” says Petrauskas. For each facility, we create an individual security algorithm that provides audio communication with intruders, the arrival of a security team, and other actions.

The company will continue to invest in technologically advanced safety techniques.

EUROCASH1, which created 1200 jobs in Lithuania, grew revenues by almost a third (29%) last year, reaching EUR 22.7 million. According to the company’s CEO, the main contributor to the company’s growth was the acquisition of two security companies in mid-2021 and their integration into EUROCASH1. In addition, new customers were added to the installation and maintenance of security solutions, collections, physical security, and electronic security. EUROCASH1 Vaults, a private safe deposit box service, is also growing rapidly, with a network of technologically advanced vaults opened in Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda a few years ago.