Fight or Flight? What to Do If You’re Home During a Break-In

October 12th, 2011

For females, the elderly and the ill, the fear of being home when a burglar breaks in is very real. These physically vulnerable members of society know that people will sometimes act desperately to avoid going to jail for burglary … and they may be seriously injured as well as their most important things being stolen. If it ever comes to the crunch, you’ll need a plan of action. Today we help you decide whether ‘fight or flight’ is the best option, if you happen to hear footsteps when you’re home alone …

Plan in Advance

There are hundreds of ways you can better protect yourself BEFORE somebody breaks in. Once they are in you house, there is very little you can do. The most essential actions to take are:

Installing a back to base alarm: There’s no need to be worried about your personal safety if you know that there will shortly be a big, burly person with expert physical protection skills along to help you!

Having your back to base alarm monitored: Research shows that most passers by ignore a flashing or wailing house alarm, either because they don’t want to put themselves in danger (understandable) or because they think it is likely to be a false alarm. Having your back to base alarm monitored is the most important step in protecting yourself.

Installing window grates, security chains, deadlocks etc: A security chain is a small but worthwhile investment, even in a rental property. Window grates and deadlocks are also essential to keep you safe.

Buy a Dog: Dogs are fantastic for personal safety, even if they’re quite small! Burglars will think twice about confronting a dog even as big as a blue heeler. Additionally, their ultra-sharp hearing will give you early warning of anybody entering the house who shouldn’t.

What If My Back to Base Alarm Goes Off While I’m Home?

If your back to base alarm is set off by an intruder while you are home, be thankful that you have it! We will phone the premises if it isn’t shut off within 30 seconds. If you don’t answer the phone, it is all systems go at Pacific Security Technology!

If your alarm goes off, don’t answer your phone. It will only let the burglar know that you are home and that you are near the phone. Some may be scared off … some may not be.

What If I Don’t Have an Alarm?

If you don’t have a monitored home security system and are home during a break in, you should:

  • Immediately dial 112 from your mobile phone, which you should keep within reach of you at all times.
  • If it is safe to talk to the operator, let them know what is going on. If the burglar might hear you, simply whisper ‘Help!’ into the phone. Using 112 as the emergency number allows your phone to be tracked via GPS, so you won’t have to give your address.
  • Consider leaving the premises if you can do so safely (for example, by going out your bedroom window). If you can’t consider hiding.

Don’t Try to Hurt Them

If you stab or shoot a burglar as a pre-emptive move, you could go to jail. If it becomes a self-defence situation you would have a legal defence … however, simply using your kitchen knife against an intruder coming round the corner could land you in very hot water.

Staying quiet and getting out of your home is the best solution. And if you didn’t have a back to base alarm before this happened, you know what your first order of business should be when you return home!

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Home Security Considerations for Suburban Homes

October 6th, 2011

Australia’s ‘typical’ lifestyle really is a suburban lifestyle. Some 70% of us live in a surburb, mostly in a freestanding house with a backyard. Most house alarm system and general security advice is aimed at suburban dwellers, so you might think that you know all this stuff already! However, today we give you a quick refresher on the basics of suburban home security, then look deeper to tell you a few things you probably didn’t know about keeping your suburban home safe!

Break the Psychological Barriers to Safety

The first and most important step in keeping your family safe is to stop thinking that “it could never happen to me”. Suburban dwellers often fail to secure their homes because they believe that living in a ‘good area’ is enough. Start looking for the weak points. Start putting measures like house alarm systems in place to protect yourself. Start today … after you’ve finished reading this!

The Basics of Suburban Home Security

You have probably heard many of these tips a dozen times, so we’ll just give you a quick refresher:

  • Secure your home and its perimeter by: Installing deadlocks on doors, locks and grates on windows, building high fences which are hard to climb and using a locking gate.
  • Improve visibility by: Trimming or removing plants close to the home, installing movement-activated lighting outside.
  • Protect your possessions by: Keeping irreplaceable valuables in a safe hidden in your home and bolted to the floor, engraving all your appliances and other valuables with your name, keeping easily stolen items out of view, and photographing everything and ensuring your insurance will cove you.
  • Protect yourself and your family by: Keeping any guns you are licensed to own in a locked cabinet, and installing a house alarm system which is monitored so that in an emergency, someone will come to protect you.

Go for the Gold Standard

The pinnacle of safety for suburban homes is a house alarm system. Make sure you have it monitored – a non-monitored alarm may either be ignored by neighbours and passers by (because there are so many false alarms), or encourage an innocent bystander to try to stop the burglary, putting them in a very dangerous position.

Depend on Your Neighbours for …

You shouldn’t ask your neighbours to step in to stop a burglar in your property, but you can ask them to conceal the fact that you’re on holidays! For your holiday times, ask your neighbour to put your rubbish bin out and bring it in, bring your mail in, switch your porch lights on and off… and perhaps mow your lawn, if you’re very good friends!

Use the strong community spirit of suburban areas to help protect your home … but don’t let the illusion of protection in a ‘good suburb’ fool you into ignoring essentials like a house alarm system!

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Home Security Considerations for Rural/Acreage Dwellers

September 30th, 2011

There’s absolutely nothing like living on acreage! Whether you farm your land or not, there is just something about the fresh air, the privacy and being in tune with natural cycles that helps give us a sense of peace and calm. However, it is important that you don’t become so peaceful in your home that you get complacent about security! Rural properties are generally considered ‘safer’ from burglary than standard suburban home, but their isolation is a major weak point. Today we look at how you can overcome this with technology, for a safer rural home.

Monitoring and CCTV Considerations

Home security monitoring via perimeter and internal alarms is the gold standard in security for ALL homes, not just rural ones … but nowhere is it more necessary than in a rural area. You can’t be at your home all the time, and there are no neighbours around to help you keep an eye out for wrongdoers.

Some people choose not to have their property monitored because they believe the response time would be too long. If you are more than 30 minutes from a monitoring station, CCTV camera systems will allow you to both deter intruders, and to catch them after the deed … getting them off the streets!

Build Your Own Fort Knox

Rural dwellers tend to spend quite a lot of time at their properties. Why wouldn’t you, when paradise is right at your doorstep?! When you go out, though, it’s likely that your trip will be a reasonably long one, given the distance to other facilities – and burglars know that they have some time to figure out how to get into your property.

They also know that the chance of being spotted by neighbours is slim to none, so they are more likely to do things like trying to get in through the roof, kicking in windows or doors, etc.

You’ll need to pay close attention to all the entry points of your house, with home security monitoring measures like:

  • Ensure all doors have Australian Standard double cylinder deadlocks
  • Install keyed window locks and window grates
  • Maintaining sensor lights outdoors – if anybody tries to get into your shedding at night, you’ll know about it.
  • Never hide your keys outside
  • Alarm your roof cavity as well as the house with a back to base alarm

Should I Buy a Dog to Protect My Property?

It is usually more feasible to keep dogs on a rural property than in a suburban or inner city home. Keep in mind that in rural areas, there is more potential for your dog to wander, harass the neighbour’s livestock or get himself into trouble! If you choose a dog as part of your home security monitoring system, make sure you fence your yard.

Guns and Rural Home Security

A higher percentage of rural dwellers than city dwellers own guns. Don’t let your gun lull you into a false sense of home security and cause you to go without a home security monitoring system, though. Your gun can only deter somebody if you are there holding it – and when guns enter the picture there is just as much potential for you to be hurt as the intruder. There is also potential for you to be arrested if you fire in a non self-defence situation.  Keep them locked up!

CCTV and back to base home security monitoring are your best bets for allowing you to protect the lifestyle you love on your rural property!

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Home Security Considerations for Inner City and Apartment Living

September 26th, 2011

Apartment living is the way of the future. There are now more than 6 billion people in the world, but unfortunately our floor space isn’t expanding as fast as the population … so apartment living will be the solution. In terms of security, apartment living has some distinct advantages, and also some distinct disadvantages. Today we look at how apartment dwellers should modify their security strategies, including elements like back to base alarm monitoring and CCTV camera systems as well as more basic elements.

Safety in Numbers

Burglars often target apartment complexes because there are dozens of homes within a very small space, each of them potentially very rich in goods that can be quickly, and untraceably, converted to cash.

This can work both for and against apartment dwellers. It may attract burglars who wouldn’t have otherwise come to your home … but it also means that if your apartment is more difficult to break into than another one, yours will be left alone. Simple steps like deadlocks, or even the signage you get when you sign up for back to base alarm monitoring can easily deter a burglar when there are so many other homes so close by.

Now, to encourage your neighbours to sign up for home security monitoring also!

Look Over Your Shoulder …

It is also critical to protect any outside portion of your apartment from burglar access. Balconies and small courtyards often have glass sliding doors to access the apartment … and glass sliding doors are notorious for being an easy way in for burglars.

Remember also that windows are a common weak point in apartment security – they are left unlocked or open far more often than doors.

 Should I Choose a Good Neighbourhood?

A good neighbourhood actually about the same protection form burglary as any other. Most burglars come from areas that are struggling socioeconomically, and they don’t tend to burgle where they live. However, your personal safety is likely to be far higher in a ‘good’ neighbourhood.

Complex-Wide Apartment Security vs Individual Protection

It is a very good idea to consider the safety of an apartment block before you decide to move into it. However, complex-wide security is not a good replacement for a back to base alarm service, or even a CCTV camera system, installed on your own property and designed to protect your own family and home!

Complex-wide security cameras will try to cover many angles at once, usually making any footage that is obtained too small, too grainy, or the wrong angle to see a perpetrator. Additionally, complex-wide security can’t protect your apartment from people who have an authorisation code to enter the building generally. So fellow tenants, tenants’ girlfriends or boyfriends, and their children’s friends may all be allowed to enter the block – the perimeter security is not useful in protecting your home against them.

Apartments allow restricted access to the area around your home, but good back to base alarm monitoring is still essential.

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Going Away for School Holidays? Holiday Home Security Tips That Burglars Hate

August 25th, 2011

School holidays are a fantastic opportunity to let our hair down … and with this break, our minds turn to getting away from the humdrum of ordinary life somewhere exotic! However, not everybody is thinking innocently of holidays in the sun and family time at school vacation … some people’s thoughts are turning to thwarting home security systems in order to make an easy escape with all your possessions.

Today we check out how back to base alarm monitoring and other smart home security tips can thwart the burglars, and let you arrive home as optimistic as when you left.

Don’t Advertise Your Absence

Although these strategies for discouraging burglars are widely known, many people become complacent. They think that it would never happen in their neighbourhood, or that it would never happen to them … and this leads people to ignore basic police security advice like:

  • Not having your mail stopped, redirected or collected by a neighbour
  • Leaving your garbage bin on the street on non-collection days
  • Advertising your holiday well in advance on your social media profiles – especially if you are lax about your privacy settings for these
  • Leaving all the lights off

Make Access Difficult

Your access to your home should always be easy. However, many people don’t realise that they are encouraging back to base alarm monitoring callouts by doing things like:

  • Leaving screen doors unsecured
  • Failing to maintain doors and windows properly
  • Leaving gates unlocked (remember, they might be able to climb in, but if the gate is locked with a key they’ll find it difficult to get all your stuff out …)
  • Not installing motion sensor lighting
  • Designing your house for concealment with shrubs and fences

Visibly Mark Your Property

It’s fantastic to record the serial numbers of your most ‘tempting’ items, like televisions and other electronic equipment. However, it can be an empty sort of action if your goods go straight into another private home or are sold on the black market. Use purpose built security labels, engraving with your name and address or permanent marker writing to discourage thieves from taking expensive items.

 

Install Back to Base Alarm Monitoring

Back to base alarm monitoring is truly the gold standard in burglary prevention. Many other techniques will make amateur burglars think twice – and amateurs represent about 70% of the burgling population. However, if your house happens across a crim with a little more experience, your back to base alarm monitoring will detect the entry as soon as they are in the house, and have a patrol car there as fast as humanly possible!

Consider a CCTV Camera System

Like an ordinary perimeter back to base alarm, CCTV camera systems can be monitored by security professionals. However, they have the added advantage of also creating video evidence to be used in court later on. They do cost more. However,  they have the added advantage of not only stopping a single burglary at your house, but either getting a crim off the streets or giving him a strong reason to find more socially acceptable employment!

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Crunch Time: 10 Steps to Full Use of Your CCTV Camera System

August 18th, 2011

You wouldn’t install a swimming pool in an area where the weather’s never warm enough to swim, and you wouldn’t buy a wedding suit if you weren’t already engaged. However, many people unfortunately do the equivalent … by installing a CCTV camera system that is improperly maintained, preventing the use of its footage when a crime occurs. Today we check out essential setup, maintenance and after-crime activities that allow you to actually use your CCTV camera system as you intended … to put away a crook!

  1. Choose covert CCTV camera systems
    In a business situation, it may be desirable to have some visible cameras in order to deter opportunistic shoplifters and the like. However, visible cameras can also be more easily disabled by spray painting the lens or cutting a cable – covert-type cameras (or at least, well-positioned equipment) helps avoid this.
  2. Turn your overwrite feature on
    Although many well-intentioned CCTV camera system owners begin by regularly exporting footage, this task inevitably becomes boring … and it often isn’t done as often as it should be. There’s little use in having the camera system there if it doesn’t have a media to write the footage to! Turning on the overwrite feature means you aren’t depending on your own motivation to make space for new recordings.
  3. Do regular camera checks
    Your regular checks should start by looking at a minute of footage from each hour of the past 24 hours – do this at least once every 3 months. This helps remove the possibility that the equipment has failed due to a lightning strike or unknown voltage spike, the lens becoming too dusty to get usable footage, the CCTV camera system becoming unfocused, or the camera being knocked in the wrong direction.
  4. Have a backup person
    There should be one other trusted person who knows how to operate the system, in case you aren’t available and to ensure maintenance is done when you are away.
  5. Know your equipment
    If a crime does occur, you don’t want to have to get out the user manual for your CCTV camera system to export the video for the police. Practice in advance!
  6. Get a still shot
    The more you can help the police, the better they’ll be able to help you … go through your CCTV camera footage in your own time and look for the clearest possible view of the suspect. Use this footage to grab a still shot to give to the police – still shots can be more easily disseminated among people.
  7. Export surrounding times – look for video links
    Suspects often come to check out the plan they are planning to rob in advance. Go back through your older CCTV camera system footage and 

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Crime in Australia: How Do We Compare?

August 10th, 2011

Australia’s streets are no doubt safer than those of Mexico, South Africa or much of the middle east. Yet 44% of us still fear we are likely to have our homes burglarised (Australian Institute of Criminology). So where does this once former British penal colony rank in terms of personal safety? Today we consider Australia’s crime rate and look at how the laid-back Aussie lifestyle can put us at an increased risk of crime.

 

How does Australia’s crime rate compare to other countries?

Different reporting and recording standards for crimes can make it difficult to accurately assess criminal rates between different nations. In one 2002 United Nations survey (Crime Trends and the Operation of Criminal Justice Systems) Australia ranked 19 in a list of 81 countries for robberies. Spain headed the list, followed by Argentina, the US, South Africa and Mexico.

 

Are robberies on the rise in Australia?

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that there were 18,000 robberies reported to police in 2007. This represented an increase of 600 over the previous 12 months. Interestingly, young people were more likely to be the victims of robbery and just under half of all robberies took place on a street or footpath. Knives were the most common weapon, used in 20% of robberies.

 

How safe are we in our own homes?

The alarming reality is that household crimes, including car theft, house, garage or shed break-ins or attempted break-ins, pose a significant risk. One in 17 households (6.2%) fell victim to such crimes in the 12 month period leading up to July 2005, according to the sixth national Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) household survey of crime and safety. In total 488,200 households experienced one or more of these selected household crimes. House alarm system’s provide protection against becoming one of these statistics.

 

Fun in the Sun Down Under – a Burglar’s Dream!

It appears our laid-back Aussie lifestyle, full of warm summer nights, makes us prime targets for opportunistic criminals. An AIC report titled A Comparison of Crime in Australia and Other Countries (1990) showed Australians were more at risk of crime than their northern European counterparts. It argued that living in large cities, in detached houses made a burglar’s job easier! Equally the suburban dream may be a security nightmare.

The report also shows many of us travel to work in the city and leave our residential suburbs with little protection and at the mercy of thieves. Coupled with long daylight hours and an enviable climate, Australians having fun at the pub or beach are again subjecting their homes to attack. A house alarm system is like leaving a trained security guard at your house while you go out to play!

Household crimes such as break-ins and theft are a growing concern for Australians but with a house alarm system you won’t need to become a statistic!

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Has Burglary Left You Open to Identity Theft?

August 2nd, 2011

The horror of your home being burgled hits you immediately: The missing TV and sound system, empty jewellery box, upturned drawers and missing keepsakes. Yet what if something even more valuable has been taken? What do you do if you find yourself suddenly a victim of identity theft? Having someone else access your bank accounts, credit cards, superannuation or use your name to rack up debts and offences can be more devastating than the loss of property. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes and one of the hardest to police. Today we look at identity theft and home security monitoring measures to prevent the loss of your greatest asset – your identity.

What is identity theft?

The information age has made face-to-face business and financial dealings almost redundant. Armed with just a few simple personal details such as your name, address, date of birth and tax file number it is possible to establish new bank accounts, take out loans and make purchases. Identity theft occurs when criminals get hold of this valuable personal information and assume your identity to steal money, gain other benefits or conduct illegal operations. It leaves its victims financially and emotionally drained.

Who can be the victim of identity theft?

It is not just internet uses who can be vulnerable to identity theft. Home burglaries may be used as a front to disguise identity theft. It may not be the TV thieves were after but your stored bank and other personal details. Protecting your property through home security monitoring measures such as back to base alarms and CCTV camera systems can be effective in minimising your risk of identity theft.

How do you know if your identity has been stolen?

If your home has been broken-into consider what information perpetrators may have had access to. Carefully check your filing drawers – are any bank, social security, business or travel documents missing or disturbed? Had you left any utility bills or financial statements lying out for burglars to access?

Thieves may also target areas outside your home. Residential mail boxes are prime targets and alarm bells should ring if statements or important documents fail to arrive. What about your garbage bin – thieves are not put off by smelly rubbish when searching for personal information. Use your home security monitoring systems to help identify any breaches of your home perimeter.

What should you do if you have become the victim of identity theft?

If you suspect that you have become a victim of identity theft don’t wait until mysterious charges start appearing on your credit cards! Act immediately. Report the situation to police and contact any financial institutions with which you have dealings. Contact your social security office, tax office, and keep a close eye on your financial statements. Inform family and friends so they are aware of the situation. This is also the time to carefully consider your home security monitoring systems and whether your property has sufficient protection.

How can you prevent identity theft?
Guard your personal details carefully. Be cautious of giving out personal information on the phone or internet and be careful about how you store your paperwork at home. Home security plays an important role in safeguarding your identity against thieves who can not just tarnish your good name but create a nightmare that could devastate you financially and emotionally.

A monitored alarm system can stop these people instantly – don’t leave it until it’s too late!

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Broken Windows, Kicked-In Doors … Overcoming The Weak Points of Perimeter Security

July 26th, 2011

Thieves always look for easy targets. Homes and commercial properties that offer minimal perimeter security are attractive options for the lazy criminal brain. The job for property owners is to ensure their home or business is not a sitting duck, ripe for the picking by opportunistic but often amateurish thieves. Most break-ins are crimes of opportunity by thieves looking for an easy way to get inside. Today we look at smart ways to protect the perimeters of your home.

Take stock of your property entry points

Make an inventory of all the access points around your home or business. Stand outside your property and note your fencing, your gates, garage doors, patio doors, windows and even your roof. Drawing a diagram of your property can help with this process.

Doors and windows

Check the quality of doors – timber or metal doors should be solid enough to provide a barrier between you and any unwanted intruders. Reinforced door frames are harder for thieves to kick-in. Quality locks and deadlocks and sliding bolts are a strong deterrent. Windows should have security screens and locks. Bars and grilles can be added and have moved beyond functionality to also appear decorate. Statistics show doors and windows are the most common points of entry for thieves – if they use them make sure they can’t do it quietly and easily!

Roofs

Commercial properties in particular are often vulnerable through roofs and ceilings. Make sure the roof of your premises is not easily accessible by way of containers, ladders, wheelie bins, trellising or any other climbing material left nearby. Secure roof tiles or iron cladding. A monitored burglar alarm system is a must – it takes longer to enter from a roof and help can be on hand in time to prevent the loss of property.

Fencing

Ten-foot high barbwire fences may well keep out unwanted intruders but they simply are not an option for most homes and business premises. Make use of attractive, keyless entry electric gates by all means, but often a well planned, open front yard can work in your favour, allowing a clear view of your property (and security provisions!)

Lighting and visibility

We all want our homes to be a private sanctuary but security lighting such as outdoor sensor lights are a real deterrent to would-be thieves. They let anyone indoors know that something or someone is moving about outside and also give any neighbours or passers-by a chance to notice any suspicious activity. Also be aware of trees or large shrubs that might provide cover for anyone lurking around.

Mounted alarm systems and cameras

Mount monitored burglar alarm security systems around the front of your home or business to put would-be thieves on notice – and make them think again! These systems not just give the appearance of a well-protected property but also ensure burglars do not have the luxury of a leisurely robbery. Expert security will be on hand fast!

It is not necessarily desirable or even possible to turn your home or business premises into a fortress, but with quality doors, windows, screens, roofing and lighting your property will not be easy pickings!

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Fraud and Scams in the Home Security Industry – How to Protect Yourself

July 19th, 2011

Certain professions in our society tend to be innately trusted. Nurses, doctors and sometimes even lawyers are all trusted and respected by default … and another of those professions is the home security industry. Every genuine business in the home security industry is here to protect you from people that care very little about your interests … but unfortunately there are plenty of businesses who capitalise on that fact using various types of home security monitoring, back to base alarm and CCTV camera system frauds and scams. We look at some common types of scams today, as well as how you can protect yourself from them.

The Burglar Disguised as a Home Security Consultant

The ‘job’ of a burglar is so much easier if they know the layout of a house in advance … and many know it will be especially easy if the homeowners believe that they have a fully functional alarm system installed, but the ‘back to base alarm’ consultant has actually tampered with it somehow.

Protect yourself by:

  • Never letting door-to-door salesmen into the home (even if they appear to be from a security company)
  • Not buying back to base security systems from people who push their services on you unsolicited without checking their credentials. Have a look at their website, check on their security license with the issuing body, or simply call back the office and see how they answer the phone!
  • Asking for back to base alarms from reputable suppliers

The Dodgy Back to Base Alarm Contract

Contracts are quite standard practice across the home security monitoring industry – although Pacific Security Technology believes we should keep our customers through good service, not legal contracts, many other companies don’t feel the same.

If you choose to go with a company that works on a contract system, be aware that just as with contracts in any area of life, you need to read them carefully and be aware of what you are signing. A home security sales company in the UK was found cold calling people and offering back to base alarm systems for 1 British pound … then having the customers sign contracts for up to £6000.

Protect yourself by:

  • Always reading contracts carefully!
  • Checking on credentials before you sign with any particular security company

The Home Security “Upgrade”

In a variant of the ‘burglar dressed as a security consultant’ scam, people in the US have knocked on doors claiming to be from the owner’s back to base alarm monitoring company, saying that your security system is due for an upgrade. They then install an inferior system and bill you for it; or they simply disable it and burgle your home.

Protect yourself by:

  • Not putting back to base alarm monitoring stickers on your windows
  • Following all of the above good advice!

The Non-Cancelled Service

In Chicago, a company was recently penalised for not cancelling home security monitoring contracts when asked by consumers – this was ultimately seen as carrying on misleading business, because their cancellation policy was deceptive.

Protect yourself by:

  • Choosing a company that doesn’t use contracts!
  • Making sure you know the ins and outs of your contract, if you choose to have one

Unfortunately, the world we live in means that you need to undertake your own checks on the authenticity of companies. At Pacific Security Technology we’ll also endeavour to keep you updated on our local security scams also!

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