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Latest Security News
14th March 2012
Crime Prevention – Stop garden Thieves
Your garden, as well as your house, has valued possessions.
It also has equipment that could help them break into your
house.
Most burglars are lazy. They look for easy ways of getting
into a house or garden. By taking a few simple precautions
you can reduce the risk of being burgled and make your house
and garden more secure.
The most vulnerable part of the house is at the rear with
around 60% of all domestic burglaries entrance is gained via
the rear or side windows and doors.
If burglars can be stopped from reaching these points an
actual attack on the house itself will have been deterred.
Locksmiths in Epsom
recommend that a 2 metre (6'6") fence topped with 30 to
45cms (12-18") of open-ended or other similarly weak
trellising can keep your home and garden more secure. A
fence can be scaled, but the trellis cannot support the
weight of a human. The burglar may find it harder to climb,
plus there is more risk being seen and making noise as the
trellis may break.
Locksmiths in Leatherhead
also suggest the use of thorny shrubs and ensure that tools
are safely locked away in your shed.
13 January 2012
Protecting your business from robbery
Retail premises are classed as a “work place” and there is a
requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to
provide a risk assessment to establish and tackle the risk
of violence to employees.
Fortunately, robbery against retailers is relatively rare.
However, when it does occur it can have a significant
impact, especially on small businesses. Robbery can affect
staff and customers through physical and psychological
injury. Furthermore, the financial cost can be substantial
due to: premises being closed for the investigation of the
offence; staff on long term sick leave requiring the
recruitment of temporary staff; damage caused by the
offenders and the loss in stock or cash.
Locksmiths in Epsom suggest
having good, well thought out and robust security policies
and procedures in place is a starting point.
Identify the areas where your premises and staff are
vulnerable to the risk of robbery and reduce the risks. Good
security normally comprises a number of factors;
• A risk assessment based on fact
• Effective security policies and procedures to reduce the
risk
• Appropriate security equipment commensurate with the
identified risk
• Efficient, courteous, well trained staff
Good advice from
Locksmiths Leatherhead.
5th November 2011
People who work full time, and usually leave and return from
work in the dark are more likely to fall victim of
opportunist burglars.
If no light is on in your home, curtains are not drawn, and
no car is in the drive, it’s an obvious sign to an
opportunist burglar that no-one is in. At this time of the
year more than any other it pays to secure your home.
There are a number of simple and free ways to do this, all
of which will help reduce the chance of your home becoming
the next target.
Locksmiths in Epsom suggest
you visit a local retailer to pick up a 24 hour segment
timer for under £5. The timer can be used with a lamp, radio
or TV to give the impression that someone’s home. Try to use
an energy efficient light bulb
Keep valuables out of sight and ensure your doors and
windows are locked. If you have a UPVC door make sure you
have double locked it.
Great advice from JB
Locksmiths Leatherhead
19th September 2011
Areas of London are colour coded to show burglary levels in
user selected areas relative to other areas of London.
Specifically, areas are colour coded according to how their
burglary rates compare to the average for London. This is
done using standard deviations - a statistical measure used
here to calculate how close to the London average an area's
crime rate is.
It is not enough for the police alone to fight crime.
Reducing the risk and fear of crime is a task for the police
and the community working together. Do your part in making
life difficult for burglars and secure your home.
Good advice from
locksmiths in Epsom
17th July 2011
Be wary of cold calling scam
Residents should be on their guard against cold callers
claiming work is being carried out on a neighbouring
property and problems have been discovered which affects
them.
They are then asked for a deposit to pay for the hire of
equipment to remedy problems such as drain repairs, damp
proofing, leaking roofs and damage caused by tree roots,
which they are told will be refunded at the completion of
the job. Once money has exchanged hands the cost of the hire
inexplicably rises and a further request for money is made.
Trading Standards report they have received five calls in
the past month where Bromley residents have lost a total of
£17,000 to rogue traders.
Locksmiths in
Leatherhead recommend that if you are approached
at home by anyone claiming essential works or otherwise are
required on your property do not hand over any cash and
contact trading standards.
Good advice from JB
Locksmiths Epsom
21st June 2011
“Alarm confirmation technology” can significantly reduce and
false alarms and help protect your Police response.
As currently most alarms attended by the police are false to
reduce the resulting strain on Police resources, the
Association of Chief Police Officers have introduced a
policy which places an increased emphasis on the use of
alarm confirmation technology. Police response will be
reduced or completely withdrawn if a system repeatedly
generates false alarms.
Locksmiths Epsom
wish to notify every business with a monitored alarm that
they must have at least two nominated key-holders and police
response is dependent on the number of false alarms in any
12 month period. Three or more false alarms and police
response is withdrawn, only the key-holder is notified.
Reinstatement of Police Response
Following withdrawal of Police response, there is a 6 month
window in which a system must be free of false alarms for a
period of 3 consecutive months, in order to have response
reinstated. In addition, a system must include alarm
confirmation technology. All new systems installed must also
include alarm confirmation technology, in accordance with
DD243.
Alarm Confirmation Technology
Confirmed alarm technology is required in order to initiate
Police response on any new system installed and to have
Police response reinstated where it has been withdrawn. For
more information contact
Locksmiths in Leatherhead
27th May 2011
Burglaries usually rise in a recession
Official figures confirm an increase in burglary and theft
since the economic problems began with politicians stating
there was "clear evidence" the recession was leading to
increases in offences. This "credit crunch crime wave" has
all the same similarities to previous economic downturns in
that there is usually a delayed reaction of approximately
one year relating to financial contraction and an increased
burglary rate.
What can you do to avoid becoming a statistic
The vast majority of break-ins are opportunist, simply by
being security conscience will aid greatly.
Locksmiths in
Epsom suggest it’s a good idea is to make sure
you security is better than your neighbours. Burglars nearly
always choose a soft option. If you have window locks,
deadlocks on doors, security lighting and a burglar alarm
installed there is a good chance that should your house be
sized up by a burglar an alternative property in the
vicinity will be targeted. For an assessment of your
security call Epsom &
Leatherhead Locksmiths
today.
16th April 2011
Protecting your business from robbery
Security Equipment
All of your security equipment should be professionally
installed and maintained. Unfortunately, police often attend
robberies where security equipment was installed poorly or
not well maintained, resulting in the equipment not working
when it was most needed. When investing in security
equipment
Locksmiths
Epsom
suggest you consider the need for regular maintenance and
urgent repair / replacement. If equipment becomes faulty it
is important that it is repaired or replaced as quickly as
possible.
CCTV
CCTV is a vital tool in the fight against crime and
regularly provides imagery that secures convictions of
offenders. Unfortunately, there are still many
CCTV systems that are of little or no use simply
because the imagery is not good enough to identify
offenders. Simple changes can greatly improve the images
provided and lead to greater assistance in the investigation
of any offences.
18th February 2011
Epsom & Leatherhead
Locksmiths – Letterbox advice
Letter boxes can be used by criminals to extract items
within easy reach of the door, so never leave your house or
car keys near the door. Burglars can also work on
substandard locks from the inside if the letterbox is
positioned too close.
Locksmiths Epsom & Leatherhead will not
position a letterbox closer then 400 mm from the door lock
and under no circumstances should they be fitted to the
bottom rail of the door.
Locksmiths Epsom & Leatherhead suggest
installing an internal cover plate to provide additional
security, as does a letter basket, though you might wish to
consider removing the bottom, allowing the mail to fall to
the floor to prevent theft of your mail and your identity.
11th February 2011
Locksmiths Epsom
& Leatherhead
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Burglary Advice - uPVC Doors
There is a current trend of burglaries happening where
suspects are targeting uPVC doors. The suspects are using
the letterbox to gain easy access and simply open the door
from the inside with either their hand or a tool as
residents are not locking their doors. If successful they
usually take keys to motor vehicles as well. This is mainly
happening in the early hours when most people are asleep.
Locksmiths Epsom
& Leatherhead advise ‘double locking’ doors and not
simply lift the handle to lock. Please remove cars keys
phones etc away from the door and out of sight.
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