Location Transport

Are there ways to see whats inside a shipping container?

My friend just bought a shipping container for storage of his products out the front of his shop. I don't think it's a good idea because I'm worried someone might be able to see whats inside somehow... Does anyone know if my worries are a possibility ? ~ I know it sounds a bit wierd, but people could kind of x-ray it or something like that couldn't they ? Are there other methods ? How could he stop these methods from working ? ~ Lead lining of something ? Cheers~!

Public Comments

1. x-ray vision goggles. i'd be very worried. except for that people probably have more interesting things to stare at with them, such as other attractive people.
2. Taking an Xray would be relatively impractical out in the street, because of the need for a power supply. Also an Xray would not give good pictures of everything inside, being difficult to interpret. It would be easy to drill a small hole and peek through, or even find an existing hole and insert a fiber optic device or small camera for viewing. The main problem with doing that is lighting. The inside would be dark, so it needs to be lit too. In the end the security is no different to being in a shop. Someone can break in if they are determined enough. It is not so easy for someone to casually peek in, but a determined person could get photos of the inside. If it is criminals you are worried about, I guess that they could just take the whole container unless it is tied down. It could happen very quickly. Bystanders would not take much notice of a fork lift and a truck moving a container. If it is something that shouldn't be in there, the police don't need any fancy tricks, they can get a search warrant. It seems to me that inevitably there will be complaints about having a container out in front of a shop.
3. It is theoretically possible to see some details but the methods are not common and quite difficult in most cases. Neutrons can penetrate if they are high enough energy. An X-ray might penetrate if the energy is high enough, but that is not a simple way to do as it takes enormous energy and you would not be able to determine what the shadows represent. What your friend puts inside will also be significant, like if he puts soft materials, like plastics, it would be almost impossible to see. If they were metal, then you might be able to see a jumble of shapes but not to tell what they represent. So, I would not be worried about someone being able to see inside.
4. I don't think x-rays would work if the container is metal. And most people don't have access to x-ray machines. However, someone can use a portable drill to drill a small hole in the container in a location that is hard to notice, and then just look inside. Kids do this in a nearby neighborhood to garage doors so they can see if there is anything valuable inside to steal. But I would be more concerned with the locked handle or knob since entry can be gained when a sharp or leveraged force is applied. If it is something similar to what semi container trucks use, getting one open is very common street knowledge. That is why when you see semi container trucks parked in large parking areas, if they are empty, they often leave the container doors open to prevent someone from breaking in for nothing. Once people see someone put products into the container or take products out of the container, the word will spread throughout the neighborhood. Trying to prevent a break-in should require multiple detectors. Among them include: - an audible alarm - a security camera and recorder - good lighting - placing container in plain view - fence around container - ask police for extra patrols - internet monitoring of the camera and alarm - being nice to people living around the container to observe and report - connecting an alarm to the police station