Burglar beware!

For many years, the drive of the security industry into the domestic market for intruder alarms and other security systems has run in fits and starts. It is the last, major untapped element in the security market, and a deep – and long-lasting – move into it would be of great benefit. Not just to the industry, but also to the domestic customer who remains so vulnerable to criminal activity.

Rough figures suggest that 12% of households play host to an intruder alarm system. Of these, the majority are uncertificated or DIY-style installations. Of the remainder, most are ‘bells only’ systems, with the number of fully-articulated police and keyholder-calling systems running in single percentage figures.

This somewhat bleak picture has to be set against a background of several robust and active attempts at market penetration by major security systems companies, many of which have petered out without delivering the break-through figures anticipated.

At present, the overall outlook seems to be a slight decline in new domestic systems (at least at the police-calling end of the spectrum). A fact allied directly to the overall crime figures, which show a decrease in burglary. That said, not all of us are totally convinced by the Government’s statistics.

Robust stance on burglars

For many years, the National Security Inspectorate and its predecessors have been issuing a leaflet cannily entitled ‘Beat The Burglar’. We all know there’s an appetite at large to take that statement literally. Quite apart from the infamous Tony Martin case, householders have long been concerned about their legal rights in the event of meeting a burglar in the middle of the night.

Former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens recently supported a stronger wording of the law to allow citizens to take more robust action than has previously been considered ‘reasonable’. Not only that, a major political party has been aligning itself to this view as a matter of policy.

Sir John’s statement has fuelled a debate over the past few months, but it’s the decision by his successor – Sir Ian Blair – to be even more vehement in his position on the rights of householders that has really set the controversy alight, generating all manner of headlines including: “You Can Kill A Burglar”.

Unfortunately, we all have stories to tell and none of them are terribly pleasant. One of my neighbours – a fit, healthy, middle-aged man – was woken up in the middle of the night last Autumn by a most unholy racket. When he ventured downstairs to investigate, he duly found two men had smashed open his French windows with a sledgehammer...

Rather than run away, the intruders proceeded to ‘take him on’ and badly beat him. When he was no longer in a position to resist, they carried on with the burglary under no great sense of urgency.

My neighbour’s wife had yelled for help from an upstairs window by then, but still these determined criminals proceeded to strip out all of the electronic goods on view before disappearing whence they came.

Advantages are all one way

Penetration of the domestic intruder alarm market has still to be cracked. If the security industry can put across its sound and rational arguments for effective defence now then every householder in the UK may have a better chance of a good night’s sleep

It is all very well having an idea – or even a policy – that it’s OK to beat up or injure a criminal, but the reality of the situation is that the burglar has all of the advantages, and it’s likely to be the householder that comes off worst.

The burglar has time to recce the house and decide what level of reaction he’s likely to receive, so that he can then add up the odds in his favour. It is dark, but his eyes are accustomed to the darkness. It is night when the sleeping householder is at his most vulnerable to attack, probably needing to draw themselves out of REM sleep. The burglar arrives dressed for the job, while the householder may have to defend himself or herself while half-naked and in bare feet.

Most important of all, the burglar has the advantage of surprise.

Confronting a burglar sounds like a righteous act of self-defence, but could quite easily be the worst option in a series of potential options – none of which is particularly good. The key for the householder (and family) is to be safe rather than sorry. A few DVDs and a PlayStation can always be replaced, but the trauma of a vicious attack and burglary in your own home may take years to eradicate. Indeed, will it ever go away?

I’m not advocating the wimpish handing over of hard-earned possessions to any bully, but I do happen to think there’s a better way of dealing with the problem.

Intruder alarms: a solution

Put simply, the solution is to have a properly-designed, installed and maintained intruder alarm. It can protect all the likely entry points and areas of higher value to a tailored solution such that it offers highly secure cover. Most importantly, it is ‘zoneable’ such that the downstairs – or entry areas of a flat complex – are armed at night. This means that the householder can sleep peacefully in the certain knowledge that nobody has entered the property illegally.

In the event of an attempted illegal entry, the alarm itself acts as a deterrent. The police can be summoned by a 999 call. The door of the bedroom can be locked, etc.

To be honest, there are all kinds of effective, defensive measures which may be prepared mentally (and well in advance). For example, try psyching yourself up for a pitched battle in darkness with an unknown number of armed criminals… Effective defence quickly becomes the better kind of thinking to be doing!

In the next few months, there’s almost certain to be a high profile ‘test’ of the ‘new’ policy being advocated. Somebody is going to make a grave decision about a burglar, and it will be all over the daily newspapers.

Penetration of the domestic intruder alarm market has still to be cracked. If the security industry can put across its sound and rational arguments for effective defence now – and thus ‘strike while the iron’s hot’ – then every householder in the UK may have a better chance of a good night’s sleep.