KNYSNA BUSINESS NEWS - Let’s face it folks, security is, and always will be, a touchy subject for most of us - the idea of living in a “jail” is not something that we want, and quite frankly like.
The reality unfortunately is that as much as we dislike any form of security in our homes, the situation does warrant it. Following the latest crime stats it is very clear that crime is not going away.
Not a week goes by that there are articles published in our local print press regarding some sort of crime, burglaries are very traumatising, the invasion of one’s personal space is not a pleasant feeling by any means.
Knysna and its surrounds does unfortunately have a poor crime rate, which is not a position we want to be in, esp considering that we are a high tourist destination. We need to keep ourselves and our guests safe by giving them a bit of info on how to keep themselves and their property safe while they are visiting our beautiful area, knowledge is power. We need to do as much as we can, complacency is often the cause of the opportunistic criminal gaining access into our homes and with summer approaching, leaving doors and windows open that have no security on them, is a definite no no.
Unless you can afford it, I am by no means saying that one need to hit the panic button and secure every single door and window in ones house, in most cases this is simply impossible as ALL good barrier security can be costly. I breakdown 4 ways to secure yourself and your homes, to which you could afford:
2. Secure all door and window expanses that open (excluding fixed glass panes). Or,
3. Secure the most used doors and windows, that being the doors and windows that are left open more often., such as TV/living room doors, kitchen/back doors etc. Or,
4. Create a “safe zone” in your home, that being the bedrooms and attached bathrooms and close off the passage to this area too.
I often get asked “what’s the point of getting Trellidors if i have an alarm?” well the answer is quite simple, alarms and barrier security work hand in hand, having an alarm is one thing, however if your house has been breached , and the alarm is triggered, well think about it, the criminals are already in the house, and can do as much damage in just a few minutes before the responding units arrive, this is especially prevalent if you live in a more “secluded” area.
However if you have an alarm with sensors on the doors and windows, as well barrier security and the alarm is triggered, the chances of the burglar attempting to break through the barrier security to gain access into your home are significantly reduced if not completely prevented, and isn’t that the goal? Holiday homes that remain unoccupied for longer periods of time are particularly vulnerable to burglaries if they don’t have both forms of security. So again, if you have both an alarm and barrier security regardless of the time the home remains unoccupied the chances of a break in and theft are significantly reduced.
So what sort of security is the best for my home?
Well lets start with a few things one should avoid before I get into that:
1. As far as possible stay away from DIY products, they are mass produced for 1 reason only, to sell as much as possible, they are often not designed with security in mind. You will also be quite surprised in cost comparison between DIY and quality security designed products, such as Trellidor, as long as you compare apples with apples so to speak. Don’t get me wrong DIY can serve a purpose , however, as with any industry/product you often get what you pay for.
2. As far as possible, avoid fitting any security directly into door, or in most cases, window frames at all costs. We have a saying that “ your security is often only as strong as how you fix it.” Fitting into the wooden or aluminium frames with screws or rivets is significantly weaker than fitting into brick or concrete, one good kick or shove will rip the fixing out of the frame without damaging the actual product. These fittings apply mostly with DIY products.
What to look for in good quality security:
1. For windows, look for fully framed products which are fitted into the actual brick or concrete, this provides, in Trellidors case a minimum of 8 contact (fixing) points.2. For doors, again look for fully framed products, retractable security should run on a top track AND a bottom track, this provides structural integrity and greater strength.
3. A good security door will have a locking system that is integrated in the unit, which fits and locks within its own frame.
4. A good security door has 1 key with 1 locking point, however, that actually locks on 2 or 3 positions on the door.
What do we at Trellidor offer:
Most don’t realise that Trellidor offer a comprehensive range of products for doors as well as windows to suit budgets and security needs. These range for what we call “low” risk to “high” risk products.
• For windows we offer 6 options, these include a variety of burglar bars, Including our newly launched Polycarbonate Bars (see through strips) which has its own integrated frame installed into the window brickwork, we also as an option, put our retractable Trellidors on windows too, so one can open the Trellidor and hide the security behind curtains, and then lock them at night or when you leave your home.
• For doors, we offer 6 options. 4 of these in the standard retractable range, the other 2 being either a domestic aluminium roller shutter or our innovative Trellidor Clear Guard (high strength mesh screen), That allows you to look through the screen with no “bars”, which doubles as security and keeps out pesky baboons and insects while still allowing fresh air to flow into your home and not obscuring any view you may have.
For advice and more info visit our showroom @ 66 Main St, Knysna, or contact Bryn Elliott on 044-3826195 to set up an obligation free consult, or visit www.trellidor.co.za for a complete overview of the Trellidor product range.
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