New White Paper
Safer Sites, Safer Futures
A new perspective on proactive vacant property security.
Exploring youth trespass, urban exploration, safeguarding and digital intelligence to help organisations anticipate risk before incidents occur.
Why Understanding Youth Trespass is the Key to Preventing It
The risks surrounding vacant properties are changing, and so too must the way organisations think about protecting them.
Safer Sites, Safer Futures brings together expert insight from across security, property, law enforcement and youth organisations to explore the behaviours driving today’s risks and the practical steps organisations can take to prevent them.
From digital intelligence and safeguarding to proactive site protection, the white paper provides an evidence-led framework for understanding emerging threats and strengthening your vacant property security strategy.
Emerging themes from the white paper:
WHAT SHOULD ORGANISATIONS DO ABOUT IT?
To help organisations respond to the changing risk landscape, the white paper presents VPS’s recommended five-step approach to managing vacant property security more effectively.
- Understand your risk
- Monitor your digital exposure
- Assess your safeguarding risk
- Escalate proportionately
- Review continuously
Download the white paper to access the complete framework, including detailed explanations of each step and practical recommendations for managing vacant property risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Youth trespass is evolving due to the rise of social media-driven urban exploration, where vacant sites are shared widely online and can quickly attract large numbers of visitors. Combined with reduced youth provision and increased activity during school holidays, this creates new challenges for property owners and security professionals.
Social media has transformed how vacant properties are discovered and shared. Locations, access points and videos of abandoned buildings can spread rapidly online, increasing the speed and scale of potential trespass. This means organisations need to consider digital intelligence alongside traditional physical security measures when assessing risk.
Youth trespass presents more than a physical security challenge. Vacant buildings can contain hidden hazards such as unstable structures, asbestos, fire risks, exposed services and falls from height. Organisations must also consider safeguarding responsibilities, legal liability, reputational damage and project disruption.
Proactive security starts with understanding how risks are changing. By combining physical security with digital intelligence, monitoring emerging online activity and identifying predictable risk periods, organisations can strengthen prevention and deploy proportionate security measures before incidents occur.
The white paper explores the changing vacant property risk landscape, including social media-driven urban exploration, youth behaviour, safeguarding, digital intelligence and proactive site protection. It also provides practical recommendations to help organisations better anticipate risk and strengthen their vacant property security strategy.
The white paper is designed for security professionals, facilities managers, estates teams, asset managers, property owners, developers, local authorities and anyone responsible for managing or securing vacant properties.
“A refreshingly different, well-researched perspective with practical guidance for strengthening vacant property security.”
Better Security Starts Now.
Our team of security experts are on hand and ready to discuss your vacant property and asset protection needs.
Our Accreditations
VPS Group business units Nexus and VPS Site Security are approved by the SIA. Within the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) for Security Guarding, Key Holding and CCTV.
SIA approval – Nexus and VPS Site Security
