Domestic burglaries increased by 4% compared to the previous year’s figures, according to Home Office quarterly crime statistics for the quarter to September 2008.  This is the first significant rise for some years and the worsening economic conditions may result in a continuing upward trend for a time.

The general trend for domestic burglaries has been steadily falling since 1997, down by 55%.  How much is accountable to economic trends or to the impact of crime prevention measures by home owners is difficult to quantify.

There is undoubtedly a correlation between burglaries and recession, but just as at any time, sensible security measures will considerably reduce your chance of becoming a burglary victim.  Now is a good time for you to review your security, just to be sure you are fully protected.
We recommend contacting your local police who will provide you with impartial crime prevention advice.  Intruder alarms, and even CCTV in high value/higher risk properties, may be measures to consider.
However, you should ensure that any electronic security installation company you choose can prove they meet recognised industry standards by being approved by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), the UK’s leading security inspectorate.

And be warned.  The any increase in burglary statistics will be gleefully exploited by unscrupulous security companies, painting a picture of doom to the unsuspecting householder.  However, you should be very wary of unregulated security companies playing heavily on these statistics and other negative reports in the press.

Good security companies will do no more than acknowledge official figures and not use them for pressure-selling their products.

So our advice is:

1. Obtain impartial advice as to which security measures will increase your properties protection.
2. Check with your insurance company who may give you a discount if you have a professionally-installed intruder alarm.
3. Contact and request quotes from at least three NSI approved installers that are currently identified on our website http://www.nsi.org.uk/.  Provide them with details of any insurer requirements.
4. Ensure each of these companies visits your property to conduct a risk assessment before submitting a quote.  Without doing this they cannot provide you with an accurate quote as each property’s risks are unique.
5. Do not rush into signing a contract.  Understand what you get for your money.  The cheapest deal may not always be the best.  Seek further advice if necessary.
6. When your alarm is installed, make sure your installation company provides you with a Certificate of Compliance which you made need as evidence for your insurer.
7. Take out a maintenance contract to ensure your system remains effective for years to come.  Without this, your system may degrade and fail you when it’s most needed.

Taken from the NSI website.

Empty homes provide summer burglars with easy pickings

But when you leave your home empty you leave it at risk, so it is absolutely essential that you make sure it is secure and protected.

The summer is a peak time for burglaries with 42% more theft claims in British Summer Time than in the winter months according to Saga Home Insurance, which also says that nearly half of all burglaries occur when a home is empty.

What should you do?

• You need to do everything you can to make it look as though you are still at home.
• Measures such as cancelling the milk and newspapers, and getting timers on your lights can be helpful, but it’s also worth asking a friend or member of the family to act as a housesitter while you are away, or at least to push post through your letter box.
• Decent window and door locks are vital, as is an NSI NACOSS Gold approved burglar alarm, although according to recent research from Confused.com, 16 million homes in the UK do not have an alarm fitted.
• Also look at access to your back garden or the side of your property. Do you have a sturdy gate with a lock, or is it easy for somebody to access your land without being seen?
• Whatever you do, don’t leave a spare set of keys in the garage or shed – even if you think they are well hidden.

Ensure you insure
These preventative measures are important but the reality is that burglaries still happen. They are always upsetting and some things are irreplaceable, but knowing that you will be recompensed for most of your belongings is invaluable.
Yet almost 10 million households in the UK do not have any form of home insurance, according to Confused.com.

Underinsured?
Even those who do have building and home contents policies are often massively underinsured. We accumulate possessions over time and it could be that you need to increase your insurance cover. The cost of replacing the contents of the average British home is £45,000 according to Sainsbury’s Home Insurance.
Plus you should check the rebuild cost for your home as it could have increased since you first took out buildings insurance. The implications could be huge if you are covered for £50,000 and the rebuild cost is really £100,000, as your insurer will deem you to be underinsured by 50%, and will only pay out a maximum of 50% of any claims.

Check your home’s rebuild cost at The Building Cost Information Service – www.bcis.co.uk.

Cover your car
If you are taking your car on holiday you might be making long car journeys or driving in unfamiliar areas. A bump on holiday could be costly and comprehensive car insurance could save you hundreds of pounds in garage costs.

Even if you are leaving the car at home this year, it could be at risk of theft. If you only have third party cover, upgrading could be a smart move and needn’t mean vastly increased premiums.

Whatever you do don’t neglect your home and possessions when you go away. It costs very little for the peace of mind that your property is protected.

BT Redcare GSM uses the security of a BT land line with the added backup protection of a GSM radio path.
If either path is compromised, the other continues to monitor for further alarms and transmits them as ‘confirmed activations’ – extra confirmation that an intruder is on the premises and that the alarm is not false.

A ‘confirmed activation’ attracts immediate response from the Police and emergency services.

BT Redcare GSM secure dual path remote monitoring is recommended for commercial, industrial, retail and domestic premises needing the highest level of security.

BT has been a market leader for 20 years in the security market and is a leading supplier of alarm signalling services in the UK.

BT Redcare GSM conforms to the latest police policies (ACPO and ACPOS). It fully complies with British and European Standards for alarm signalling up to Grade 4, which is the highest level of protection on the market today.

Buying and installing BT Redcare GSM is straightforward – you simply need a BT telephone line. A check on the availability of a suitable GSM radio signal will be necessary and this will be carried out by Soundandsafe.com during your site survey.

The Environmental Protection team will silence a burglar alarm if it rings unnecessarily and causes a noise disturbance. If you have a burglar alarm you should:

• provide the council and the police with the contact details of at least 2 key holders
• make sure your alarm has a cut-off device which stops the alarm sounding after 20 minutes
• have the alarm serviced at least once a year
• tell us if your key holder details change

Use the Luton Borough Council website to keep your key holders up to date.

Many assume that by having an alarm they are fully protected. An alarm system that looks modern with a company name on the bell will be a reasonable deterrant, but the truth of the matter is that unless it is being monitored, it may not be heard and can simply be ignored.

By law, alarm systems have to silence after 15 minutes, quite often they will not re-arm and may have been vandalised to prevent them from working properly.

ALARM TYPES

BELLS ONLY
The most common type of alarm is a bells only (Grade 2 X) and as the name suggests is an alarm which when activated just sounds a bell/siren for up to 15 minutes, in some cases it will re-arm and retrigger, but quite often will just silently flash a strobe and wait to be reset.

SPEECH DIALLER
A speech dialler is a “passive” device which connects to the alarm and a telephone line, at the same time the siren activates it makes a call and plays a recorded message to a predetermined list of numbers to alert them. A useful device as long as the telephone line is ok and not in use, the numbers are correct and the person notified can respond.

DIGITAL COMMUNICATOR
Digital communicator is where your alarm system is set up to send data to an alarm receiving centre (ARC) via a standard telephone line. When an alarm is triggered, the ARC receives notification and calls the relevant emergency service and or keyholders. A dedicated phone line is recommended, like the speech dialler if the call cannot be made then the alarm signals will not go through.

DUAL PATH SIGNALLING
Dual Path Monitored signalling is one of the most secure forms of alarm monitoring available, provided by CSL Dualcom and BT Redcare GSM. It uses two seperate communication paths (Landline and priority mobile network) and is capable of sending a ‘confirmed activation’ to ensure a response from the emergency services, even if the telephone line is cut or damaged. If either path is tampered with, or goes faulty, the ARC will be alerted and the relevant emergency services, or your authorised keyholder, will be called.

DualCom’s unique GradeShift® technology means that the hardware platform remains unchanged so that there is one common product across all security grades. The grade category is selectable through remote programming via the Alarm Receiving Centre or the Alarm Installer, meaning that all grades are quick and easy to install.

Simply order the G2, G3, G4 or the Fire version dependent on the grade you require. If for any reason your insurance specification increases or decreases there will be no need to install a new signalling unit – just contact your Alarm Receiving Centre or Soundandsafe.com and for a small charge the installation will be up or down graded. Meaning less engineer visits – saving you money.

This exciting combination of technologies is generating an enthusiastic response from our industry.

CSL designed DualCom GPRS/IP to satisfy the ever-growing demand for these technologies from the Retail sector in particular, where cost and performance are under constant scrutiny. If used, the IP path uses an TCP/IP connection to include compatibility with broadband / WAN / LAN. DualCom’s IP path can either replace the PSTN path or be used in addition, creating up to three diverse routes on alarm transmission.

In the event of an alarm, DualCom’s GPRS sends packets of data, via radio. The speed of transmission surpasses the older GSM technology, hence its suitability for sending alarm signals. Rather than having to ‘dial-up’ for a connection, GPRS systems are permanently switched on and transmit instantaneously. Another popular feature of GPRS is its low operating costs. A flat rate is charged per month to cover all calls made and monitoring.

* Two high-speed signalling paths
* IP compatible – just plug in and go
* No ARC chip programming required
* Next day Installation – no delayed administration
* Automatically locks into ARC – protects you from takeovers
* Insurance Approved – no extended liaison
* Low installation costs – Fit in less than 40 minutes
* 21CN Mode – protection against future upgrade disruption
* GEMINI CALLBACK® – we call the unit not your keyholders
* EN50131 Grades 2, 3 and 4 – GradeShift® between all grades

Protecting Commercial Business Premises as well as Retail and Domestic Home environments.
We offer Survey, Risk Assessment, Design, Installation, Commissioning, Maintenance, Takeover, Repair and Upgrade Services.

Our security systems include Central Station Remote Alarm Monitoring – with secure BT Redcare monitored line, Dual Path BT Redcare GSM & DualCom GSM / Dualcom GPRS and digital communicator.

Insurance approved, Police Recognised in a number of areas including Bedfordshire, Metropolitan, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley, Cambridgeshire.

NSI Nacoss Gold accredited.

ISO9001:2000 Quality Assured.