50 • HARDWARE & SECURITY
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Are you safe in your home?
The history( and future) of home security
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FOR MOST BRITONS, their home is their safe place. It’ s a place to come back to after a day at work, to raise a family in and to relax in.
But how safe is it, really? Ironmongery Direct explores the question.
The number of burglaries in the UK are falling. The incidents in 2015 were down 33 % from the same period 10 years earlier( Jan-Dec 2005) and 70 % just 20 years ago( Jan- Dec 1995).
However, according to the Office for National Statistics, there were 401,718 policereported burglaries between January 2015 and December 2015 – giving a burglary rate at 7 offences per 1,000 people.
That also means that, on average, there were 1,100 burglaries per day reported to police. That’ s 45 per hour.
The figure gets even scarier when you take in to account an estimate of all burglaries( aside from police-reported)- where an estimated 713,000 burglaries took place.
WINDOW LOCKS
LIGHTS TIMER
This means there were an estimated:
• 1,953 burglaries per day
• 81 per hour
• 1.35 each minute
Even with decreased numbers, there’ s still more than one burglary every minute. How much will that cost you?
In 2000, a Home Office study concluded that the average burglary costs £ 2,300 per incident. Adjusted for inflation, that figure is now £ 3,600. That’ s not even counting the rise in commonly stolen electronic devices such as smartphones, which cost an average of £ 180 each, and laptops( average cost = £ 692 each).
With burglaries an everpresent threat, it’ s hard not to ask yourself- how do you defend your home?
DO YOU LIVE IN SAFETY?
According to insurer’ s MoneySuperMarket, London is a fairly dangerous place to reside. In fact, the ten areas with the highest rate of burglary in the UK are in our capital:
MOTION SENSOR LIGHTS
MOST BURGLED POSTCODES
• SE21 South Tulse Hill & Dulwich, South London 61.2
• IG5 Clayhall, Ilford, East London 57.5
• IG4 Redbridge, East London 56.7
• IG2 Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Aldborough Hatch, East London 53.5
• N20 Whetstone district, North London 49.5
• TW5 Heston, Cranford( north), Osterley( west), West London 49.2
• EN4 Hadley Wood, Cockfosters, East Barnet, New Barnet, North London 48.6
• N11 New Southgate district, North London 48.1
• IG6 Barkingside, Hainault( south), East London 46.7
• TW11 Teddington, West London 46.6
The data also documents the UK postcodes with the lowest number of offences. If you live in Harbury, Derry or Bishopston, it’ s good news— you’ re living in some of the UK’ s safest areas.
CCTV
Take cues from history and install strong locks, lighting and experiment with alarms.
SAFEST POSTCODES
• CV33 Harbury 0.7
• BT48 Derry, Cityside, Ballynagard, Coshquin, Rosemount, The Collon, Culmore, 0.9
• SA3 Bishopston, Blackpill, Caswell, Clyne, Langland, Mumbles, Oystermouth, Southgate, South Gower, West Cross, 1.1
• SO22 Badger Farm, Fulflood, Hursley, Littleton and Harestock, Olivers Battery, Pitt, St Cross( W), Stanmore, Weeke 1.1
• SP4 Amesbury & Durrington 1.2
• BL6 Bolton, Blackrod, Horwich, Lostock, Rivington 1.3
• OX10 Wallingford, Berinsfield, Cholsey, Dorchester 1.3
• DD10 Montrose 1.4
• NG20 Shirebrook, Market Warsop 1.4
• CA13 Cockermouth, Lorton & Buttermere 1.5
SECURING YOUR HOME – A BRIEF HISTORY
Throughout history, people have made efforts to secure their homes to prevent the theft of their belongings. This began with a number of weapons and tools before morphing into the systems we use today.
MESOPOTAMIA AND ANCIENT EGYPT
Beginning with a simple wooden bolt across two brackets, locks in ancient history progressed rapidly. In periods dating as far back as 2,000BC, Egyptians began using pin tumbler locks made of wood that used a lock and
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | JAN / FEB 2017 Sponsored by Burg-Wächter