(Reviewing the Aritech outdoor siren AS375, our tester posed a perennial question…)
"Increasingly customers are demanding external units which match the décor of their premises … There are two distinct schools of thought. One says that a clear contrast in the appearance of external equipment draws attention like the proverbial sore thumb to the fact that a system is present and increases the deterrent factor. The counter argument is that blending a unit into the premises is much better on the eye.
"An installer recently received quite specific instructions when fitting a sounder to a rather pretty cottage. The box had to be square (not easy to find), it had to be finished in white and the logo/lettering had to be in black and red so that it co-ordinated with the building decoration."
Don't expect to get your stuff back!
(Now the chances of getting a follow up investigation are even less… )
News this month that the Metropolitan Police is starting a pilot project which, if successful will be repeated nationwide whereby crimes will be screened prior to any investigation work being undertaken. It is reckoned that some 85 per cent of burglaries, for instance, will not now be followed up by detectives who will now concentrate their attentions on those crimes with the best chance of detection...
"All that though makes it even more important for Joe Public to look to his own security. If he's only got a 15 per cent chance of his crime being followed up, he really should be thinking far more seriously about making the villain's job as difficult as possible. Sounds like a ready-made line from a sales pitch, doesn't it?"
Paul Daniels escapes … unfortunately
(Just think of all the years of misery we could have been spared ...)
"A few weeks back, on prime time Saturday evening viewing, Yale's Deryck Thorpe put in an appearance on The Paul Daniels Magic Show. The BBC isn't allowed to carry advertising, of course, but Deryck took the opportunity of having the company name boldly emb1azoned on his jacket. There's product promotion for you!
"His task was to lock Paul Daniels in a shackle secured b two Yale padlocks from which the magician had to escape. He did (of course) - no reflection on Yale's products, but we understand that the Magic Circle has had a number of applications from the criminal fraternity!"
Visionary thinker on access control
( Microscene's Eric Hallam outlined his vision for the future of electronic access control – "A system for the nineties" ...)
1. Should be field expandable; 2. Should have separate database and distributed intelligence; 3. Should be networked. Even when supplying a single stand-alone system you should be satisfied that the user can expand the system without doing away with the single unit you first sold."
Just a hiccup or two
(A writer commented that too many false alarm calls were being generated 'at a cost to alarm companies of £25 each call` …)
"Many outsiders not engaged in alarm politics ... would prefer the Home Office to take a lead and make it impossible for individuals to engage in installing alarms unless properly qualified and certified accordingly.
"Security isn't just another business and false alarms cannot just be tolerated without radical steps being taken. if, as a consequence, the rogues are eliminated and there are only two false calls per system a year it wouldn't be bad. Any other product performing for twenty four hours in every day throughout the year would be considered quite efficient if it only hiccupped twice!"
Source
Security Installer
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