The recent Easter holidays in the UK meant a two-week break for schoolchildren, which many families take advantage of to go abroad. But how do such school holidays and other public festivals, such as Christmas and Guy Fawkes night, affect the burden placed on security guards in the bustling city of London and elsewhere in the UK? This blog post will explore the reasons why public holidays might compromise home security, as well as looking at the solutions which Security Risk Specialists can offer to ensure peace of mind.
Let’s start with the recent Easter holidays. Many families want to make use of the warm spring weather to go holidaying abroad. This leaves many family homes vacant, increasing their risk of burglary: thieves prefer to rob empty properties, with 86% of them doing all they can to avoid contact with the occupant. Any residence on the ground floor, whether a house or a ground-floor flat, will have an increased risk, the obvious reason being that there is easier access for the burglars. However, a second reason why ground-floor residences are more likely to be burgled is because they are more visible to passers-by, meaning it is easy to tell whether they are occupied or vacant. Many families resort to using timed lights to give the illusion that someone is home, but such precautions can only go so far if someone is watching the house for a period of time.
Another festive time in which we have noticed an increase in attempted burglaries in the London area is Bonfire Night. People tend to be out of their homes, watching loud fireworks displays which distract local communities and give burglars the opportunity to use the noise as a cover to mask any sounds they might make. Security Risk Specialists offers a number of security solutions for individuals wishing to protect their homes on such festive occasions or when they are away.
Caption: The loud explosions of fireworks on Bonfire Night can disguise sounds which would normally signal that an intruder is entering a household
You may be surprised to hear that almost three quarters of burglars enter through the front door. This in itself is proof that many people are not securing their front doors to a high enough level, but we at SRS offer various solutions such as air-lock and safety doors, access control and intercoms systems, and, for those with a front drive, electronic gates to provide another layer of security around the house. The presence of a visible alarm system outside the house acts as a strong deterrent against potential burglars, as does the high-definition CCTV systems which SRS are able to install. The high quality of the images provided by our CCTV systems means that suspects can be more easily identified following any attempted burglary, and therefore can be apprehended by the police.
We can combine these technological solutions with manned guarding, which tends to be a more effective deterrent and therefore keeps properties safer. Our residential patrol service, which we have discussed in more detail in this blog post, offers protection from security guards with the option of including patrol cars and security dogs. We have had many great successes in diminishing the number of burglaries in residential areas through use of our highly trained security dog and security guard units. We also offer an alternative service known as Scheduled Patrols. This is a more affordable option, as rather than providing 24-hour security, the SRS patrol vehicle makes irregular visits to a property throughout the night. The irregular hours of the patrol make the guards’ presence impossible to predict, providing the maximum deterrent with minimal cost to the client. Such technological and manned solutions can ensure peace of mind during times when families are holidaying abroad or celebrating festive occasions such as bonfire night.
We have considered how public holidays create security issues for individuals and communities; but when it comes to businesses, a different set of public holidays cause the trouble. Any time over which a business is closed for a prolonged period will be problematic for security, meaning Christmas surely comes top of the list of times when businesses should be particularly security conscious. Potential burglars know that offices tend to be closed over the Christmas and New Year period, making the empty buildings prime targets. We have already discussed in an earlier blog a recent example of an attempt to rob the headquarters of a successful business in London, which was foiled by a brave SRS security guard who was patrolling the premises. Many of the security solutions which apply to personal residences are also effective for businesses, the core of which are our highly responsive and trained guards. In addition, we offer dedicated security doors, turnstiles, and bollards to provide strong physical protection for the front of businesses even when the offices are empty. With a combination of technological and physical solutions, we aim to ensure peace of mind during public holidays by protecting businesses and private properties to the highest standard and with the fastest response time.
