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key to provide access externally. This would then be improved with metallic tumbler locks in Rome.
Figure 1: To design- can we do a basic version of this?
Effective now? Deadbolts and secure locks are still one of the most important factors in protecting yourself against burglary. Around 30 % of all burglaries are through an open or unlocked window or door. A home without a security system is 300 % more likely to be burgled.
ANCIENT ROME – GUARD DOGS
Domesticated since ancient times, guard dogs were used in ancient Rome to protect property. In his writings about breeds such as Laconians and Molossians, Virgil the poet said:“ Never, with them on guard, need you fear for your stalls a midnight thief.”
Effective now? A study by the University of North Carolina surveyed 422 burglars to establish what put them off burgling a property. Only a small percentage of the offenders said they’ d continue a burglary if there was a dog in the home.
Confusingly, the current UK legislation through the Dangerous Dogs Act means that you can be prosecuted if your dog bites a trespasser in your garden – but there is a defence if your dog bites a trespasser inside your home.
FEUDAL JAPAN –‘ CRICKET FLOORS’
In Japan, the Royal Pavilion at Katsura was built with a burglar-alarm system known as‘ cricket floors’ – creaky floorboards that emitted a musical sound and alerted the palace guards.
Effective now? This early burglar alarm paves the way for modern day alarms, which
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are immensely effective at deterring crime. A study by Dr Simon Hakim at Temple University found that an alarm reduces the chance of burglary by 66.2 %( if three or more precautions are taken by the homeowner).
MEDIEVAL PERIOD – CASTLES
A castle was a fortified holding of a lord, popular throughout Europe as a direct response to the increase of raids and invasions. They consisted of a number of defence mechanisms, such as:
• Moats – Deep ditches that provided a preliminary line of defence.
• Drawbridge – An enormous gate which would only be lowered internally.
• Fortified walls – with sloped, enormous stone walls, castles were almost impossible to climb.
• Arrow slits and murder holes – areas for defenders to attack with impunity.
Effective now? Most of us aren’ t rich enough to afford a castle, or the multitude of guards you’ d need to defend it. However, making your home hard to climb by removing bins near your garage and locking your windows is effective.
In the US, the‘ Castle Doctrine’ is the name of a law that varies by state and governs the right of a homeowner to attack an intruder to protect themselves, sometimes even with deadly force.
MODERN SECURITY SYSTEMS – ALARMS AND CCTV
Modern security systems came into being in the mid 1800’ s, when the first electromagnetic alarm system was created by Augustus Pope in 1853. The rights were purchased in 1857 by Edwin
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Holmes, who set up the first electrical alarm system company.
Despite George Orwell’ s warnings in his novel 1984, CCTV systems have caught on after being invented as a live monitoring solution for Germany’ s V-2 rockets in 1942, then being promoted by American contractors Vericon in 1949. Home CCTV was invented by Nurse Marie Van Brittan Brown in 1966.
‘ 30 % of all burglaries are through an open or unlocked window or door’
WHAT’ S EFFECTIVE IN THE MODERN AGE?
As well as being inspired by history, our new security systems are proving very effective at repelling burglars. Ultimately, these new technologies combined with older ones give us an idea of how to deter burglary.
• Alarms are a big deterrent in the U. S, with around 60 % of burglars surveyed by the University of North Carolina admitting they avoid houses with alarms in place.
• However, one in five burglars( 20 %) reported cutting alarm wires before a burglary.
• Locking up is vital. Traditional methods of home security are the single most important aspect. Window locks, indoor lights on a timer, double door locks and external motion sensor lights were found to make a home almost 50x safer than a home without security – according to a study by the Royal Statistical Society.
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• Fitting a stronger door can be useful, as 33 % of intruders enter through the front door – either by forcing the lock or kicking it in.
• CCTV is also very useful, offering a deterrent in a similar fashion to alarms. Research by the University of Leicester found that CCTV use in Newcastle and King’ s Lynn reduced recorded crime in the burglary and vehicle crime areas. However, it’ s a more expensive system than most and this is reflected by the low uptake. Just 5 % of the 1,292 Which? members surveyed by the website in a home security survey had home CCTV systems.
To defend your home, a combination of systems and common sense can prevent crime. With the right methods in place, you’ ll be able to deter potential burglars. Take cues from history and install strong locks, lighting and experiment with guard systems such as alarms.
THE FUTURE? CCTV is still a relatively recent technology, but it has already been challenged by personal CCTV systems available to smartphone and tablet owners. A report by futurologist Dr Ian Pearson suggested that we may soon see intelligent alarms that can communicate with one another, directional sound emitting alarms that disorientate intruders and even affordable robotic security guards. With the price of technology dropping and home CCTV systems now available for free through Android apps, the future looks bright.
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