Recently there has been a burglary from a home in Wiltshire where several rooms were ransacked and Christmas presents were taken while the residents were out. According to Wiltshire Police, the burglars needed more than one visit to steal the items and a vehicle would have been involved.
This highlights the need to be vigilant about security during these dark evenings when valuable items are likely to be stored.
Taking steps to protect your home
While organised gangs can target a house as happened in Wiltshire, many burglars are opportunists so you can take some simple steps to protect your home. Making sure all your doors, windows and outside gates are locked when you are out is the most important step of all. Wiltshire Police also had further advice to help stop burglaries in people’s homes.
Inspector Liam Winstone said: “This house was targeted while the occupants were out. Incidents of this nature are always extremely distressing for the victims but at this time of year it is no doubt even more upsetting.
“If you are going away or out for an evening over the festive period, please consider hiding Christmas presents, ensure lights are left on or on a timer, try to leave a vehicle on your driveway so it would appear somebody is home and install security cameras if possible. It is also worth informing a neighbour if you are leaving a property unoccupied for a lengthy period of time so they can keep an eye on your home.”
How Security Group can help
Residential, as well as commercial properties, can benefit from improved security measures, which are particularly needed in the run up to Christmas. If you cannot consider them all now, then make sure you take some the simple steps, such as installing adequate security lights, but consider investing more in your security systems in the new year.
We offer intruder alarm systems and CCTV systems to homes and businesses in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. These security systems can act as deterrents to burglars as the bell boxes and cameras are visible to them. Commercial properties also need to put up signage to indicate surveillance camera recordings are taken place, which helps to make potential intruders more wary.
Advanced Intruder Alarm Systems
The sound of the burglar alarm, should a break-in still be attempted, means that thieves may think twice about continuing or may mean they do not stay for as long as neighbours or passers-by are likely to be alerted to an incident taking place.
We offer both Orisec and HKC Security intruder alarm systems, which include a range of wired and wireless detectors which will be suitable for both residential and commercial properties. Additionally, they both have mobile apps which means you can set and unset the alarm remotely and can be notified that an alarm has been triggered.
We can design and install bespoke grade 2 or grade 3 intruder alarm systems that will meet the risk level needed for your property and to meet the requirements of your insurance company so you have peace of mind.
If more support is required, we can also offer remote monitoring via our Alarm receiving centre (ARC). If the alarm is triggered, the ARC can notify a nominated keyholder or request a police response if you need this.
CCTV/ Surveillance camera systems
We can offer both the on-premise and cloud surveillance camera solutions from Avigilon. These can be linked to video management software that is easy to use but includes advanced analytics features allowing you to easily identify unusual events and suspicious individuals.
The camera solutions which commercial properties may choose include the Avigilon H5A Thermal camera which combines powerful heat-sensing technology with its next-generation video analytics. This camera can detect the presence and movement of people and vehicles in complete darkness, smoke, mist, and foliage. This is just one of a large selection of cameras from Avigilon that we can use to design a bespoke CCTV solution for different types of properties and location.
The video analytics embedded in the Avigilon H5A Thermal camera will sense when people or vehicles are moving at an unusual speed or are present in an unusual location. This sends an event notification to Avigilon Unity video for presentation to an operator in its Focus of Attention interface. This means you can act quickly if a break-in occurs. CCTV recordings can also act as evidence for the police investigating burglaries.
Have peace of mind for Christmas and the New Year
Without home and business owners taking proper precautions this can be a lucrative time of year for criminals hoping to cash in on the demand for goods. Investing in an advanced intruder alarm, and possibly also a CCTV system, will give you peace of mind all year round, whether you are protecting your home or business. If you need extra protection, we offer a further range of security and monitoring appliances that could help. Please contact us to find out more.
