Home Security-Part 3-The Castle Concept
You are probably familiar with the old saying " An Englishman's home is his castle".
It seems odd that that thought seems to be lodged in the national consciousness.
In fact whatever your nationality, you probably identify with that saying.
Obviously, the main reason for this is because your home is your refuge, the one place where you can feel safe and secure.
Another reason could have something to do with it's layout.
I can see some obvious comparisons between a house and castle.
You'll probably agree with me when I explain why : Whether a semi or a detached home, your house probably stands in grounds surrounded by a fence and gate, to allow access.
Between the fence line and the house you may also have a garage and shed.
This arrangement of dwelling, outbuildings and perimeter protection mimics the typical medieval Castle layout : A Castle Keep, surrounded by open ground, containing outbuildings, known as a Bailey, and encircled by a perimeter wall with a defensible gate.
Not many castles were successfully broken into and it's my firm conviction that with a bit of thought, your home can be made just as impregnable.
Space allowed in this article will not allow me to do more than briefly outline some good, solid, burglary prevention methods and I would refer you to my resource box for further information.
So, here goes - Perimeter Wall - your boundary's protectionYou should have a low, well maintained fence or brick wall at the front of your property, complete with a gate, all no more than waist height.
Tree branches, bushes and shrubs should be trimmed or cut back to allow a good view on to your house.
Access to the side and rear of your home should be protected with a lockable gate.
You should have a higher, strong fence at the rear of your property (planning permission will be required for fences above 1.
8m high).
The tops of fences can be made un-scalable with special paint applied to them.
Prickly plants, like pyracantha, can be used to defend boundaries, when planted on the inside of fences.
Plants like these are a kind of green barbed wire, which discourage climbers.
The Bailey - your garden External lighting is important to deter night time thieves who will often attack outbuildings and steal from gardens under cover of darkness.
Automatically switched passive infrared lighting tends to work well as a deterrent as it detects a person's body heat and movement and reacts to this.
Garages and sheds should be secured as if they were the main building.
This because they usually contain attractive items, like bikes, or tools that can be used against house doors or windows.
So do fit quality locks to doors and windows - and remember to use them.
Don't forget about motor vehicles parked on your driveway.
They are always vulnerable to thieves, so they should be locked and alarmed.
Items should not be left on display in cars either.
Think about using crunchy gravel on your drive or around the outside of your home as it can give warning of an intruder's approach.
The Castle Keep - your homeThe most common method of breaking into a house is via ground floor windows located at the side or rear of the premises.
As a general rule, all ground floor windows and those on the first floor that can be climbed up to should be fitted with good quality, key operated locks.
All external doors should be robust and fitted with quality locks.
Locks to British Standard 3621 would be the norm.
Front doors should ideally have a pair of locks fitted, 1/3 the way from top and bottom to prevent them being forced open by shoulder barging or kicking.
It is advisable to have a pair of sliding bolts on the inside of your front door at top and bottom and a pair of locking ones on your back door as extra protection.
Photograph valuables like ornaments and jewellery and property mark electrical items.
In most cases, a simple invisible ultra - violet pen can be used to write your post code on the relevant item.
Should it be stolen, the Police will at least have a chance to restore it to you.
Use an insurance rated safe to house jewellery, when not being used.
Keep spare keys, (car keys included) out of sight, or they may be used against you in subsequent burglaries or car thefts.
Lighting is important in the home, especially when you're away from it.
When connected to time switches, lights coming on at appropriate times can create the illusion that your home is occupied.
If your finances will run to it, invest in a burglar alarm.
Professionally fitted is best, but a DIY one is still useful.
Burglar alarms are great deterrents to a burglar.
But even if he decides to attack a home protected by an alarm the noise it makes will severely limit the time he can spend inside in case he's detected and caught.
Well, those are a few basic tips to be going on with.
For more in-depth information I would refer you to my resource box.
In my next article I'll be looking at security management and how joining the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme can help to protect your self and your property.
It seems odd that that thought seems to be lodged in the national consciousness.
In fact whatever your nationality, you probably identify with that saying.
Obviously, the main reason for this is because your home is your refuge, the one place where you can feel safe and secure.
Another reason could have something to do with it's layout.
I can see some obvious comparisons between a house and castle.
You'll probably agree with me when I explain why : Whether a semi or a detached home, your house probably stands in grounds surrounded by a fence and gate, to allow access.
Between the fence line and the house you may also have a garage and shed.
This arrangement of dwelling, outbuildings and perimeter protection mimics the typical medieval Castle layout : A Castle Keep, surrounded by open ground, containing outbuildings, known as a Bailey, and encircled by a perimeter wall with a defensible gate.
Not many castles were successfully broken into and it's my firm conviction that with a bit of thought, your home can be made just as impregnable.
Space allowed in this article will not allow me to do more than briefly outline some good, solid, burglary prevention methods and I would refer you to my resource box for further information.
So, here goes - Perimeter Wall - your boundary's protectionYou should have a low, well maintained fence or brick wall at the front of your property, complete with a gate, all no more than waist height.
Tree branches, bushes and shrubs should be trimmed or cut back to allow a good view on to your house.
Access to the side and rear of your home should be protected with a lockable gate.
You should have a higher, strong fence at the rear of your property (planning permission will be required for fences above 1.
8m high).
The tops of fences can be made un-scalable with special paint applied to them.
Prickly plants, like pyracantha, can be used to defend boundaries, when planted on the inside of fences.
Plants like these are a kind of green barbed wire, which discourage climbers.
The Bailey - your garden External lighting is important to deter night time thieves who will often attack outbuildings and steal from gardens under cover of darkness.
Automatically switched passive infrared lighting tends to work well as a deterrent as it detects a person's body heat and movement and reacts to this.
Garages and sheds should be secured as if they were the main building.
This because they usually contain attractive items, like bikes, or tools that can be used against house doors or windows.
So do fit quality locks to doors and windows - and remember to use them.
Don't forget about motor vehicles parked on your driveway.
They are always vulnerable to thieves, so they should be locked and alarmed.
Items should not be left on display in cars either.
Think about using crunchy gravel on your drive or around the outside of your home as it can give warning of an intruder's approach.
The Castle Keep - your homeThe most common method of breaking into a house is via ground floor windows located at the side or rear of the premises.
As a general rule, all ground floor windows and those on the first floor that can be climbed up to should be fitted with good quality, key operated locks.
All external doors should be robust and fitted with quality locks.
Locks to British Standard 3621 would be the norm.
Front doors should ideally have a pair of locks fitted, 1/3 the way from top and bottom to prevent them being forced open by shoulder barging or kicking.
It is advisable to have a pair of sliding bolts on the inside of your front door at top and bottom and a pair of locking ones on your back door as extra protection.
Photograph valuables like ornaments and jewellery and property mark electrical items.
In most cases, a simple invisible ultra - violet pen can be used to write your post code on the relevant item.
Should it be stolen, the Police will at least have a chance to restore it to you.
Use an insurance rated safe to house jewellery, when not being used.
Keep spare keys, (car keys included) out of sight, or they may be used against you in subsequent burglaries or car thefts.
Lighting is important in the home, especially when you're away from it.
When connected to time switches, lights coming on at appropriate times can create the illusion that your home is occupied.
If your finances will run to it, invest in a burglar alarm.
Professionally fitted is best, but a DIY one is still useful.
Burglar alarms are great deterrents to a burglar.
But even if he decides to attack a home protected by an alarm the noise it makes will severely limit the time he can spend inside in case he's detected and caught.
Well, those are a few basic tips to be going on with.
For more in-depth information I would refer you to my resource box.
In my next article I'll be looking at security management and how joining the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme can help to protect your self and your property.
