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Explore the advantages of wireless CCTV camera systems, from flexibility to reduced costs. Learn how these systems enhance security for homes and businesses.
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Protecting your home from intruders is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the safety of your family and possessions. Burglaries have increased significantly in recent years, leaving many homeowners feeling anxious about their home security system. As a result, it’s more important than ever to take the right security measures to make your house as safe as possible. Fortunately, there are plenty of extra security that you can improve home security without spending a fortune or hiring an expensive security team. In this blog post, we present 7 best home security tips that will help keep burglars at bay – so read on and learn how to safeguard your property effectively today! Setting A House Alarm Installing a burglar alarm system is an excellent way to boost your home security. It provides peace of mind knowing that your property is protected against theft, burglary, and other criminal activities. With a house alarm, you can deter intruders from entering your property, as the sound of the alarm will alert neighbours and passersby.
Investing in a home security system can provide numerous benefits for homeowners. Not only does it help to protect your property and family from potential dangers, but it can also provide peace of mind knowing that your home! is being monitored 24/7. In this blog, we'll explore some key benefits of investing in smart home security systems.
It's no secret that crime statistics in Huntingdon have been on the upswing. The risk of being burgled or targeted in other criminal activities can be an unpleasant reality, and no one wants to experience it firsthand. Yet, knowing how quickly these crimes can occur, a proactive plan is essential when protecting your property and its valuables. In this blog post, we will look closely at current levels of criminal activity within Huntingdon and offer some smart solutions for keeping yourself safe! Read on to learn more about fighting crime before you become the victim—it could save you from experiencing painful losses.
Feeling safe in your home is something everyone strives for, so it’s vital that your home security system is top-notch. In this blog, we will discuss some of the top smart home devices in 2023 to help you build the best home security system, giving you peace of mind every single day. Ring smart doorbells Your doorbell is a critical alert for both yourself and visitors to request access to your home. Unlike traditional doorbells, the market now offers a range of smart doorbells designed to give you more control over who enters your home. A smart ring doorbell is a video doorbell with integrated cameras that connect to your smartphone, allowing you to remotely identify who is trying to access your home, along with an indoor camera for when you’re at home. The screen will enable you to accept or reject unlocking the door or speak to the person without having to open any doors.
Secure Home Electrics’ director Mike Dixon has recently been asked to provide practical advice for homeowners in Cambridgeshire on how to protect against burglary. Mikes previous experience as a Detective Inspector and a member of the British Society of Criminology and Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies allows him to provide a unique perspective on this issue.
I am increasingly being requested to provide assistance from dog breeders and worried pet owners over the rise in the theft of dogs. This fear is being fuelled over the Internet on social media as concerned owners share incidents and photos of suspects. There is no doubt that there has been an unprecedented demand for dogs since lockdown last year as families readjust to working from home which means that more families are now in a position to own a pet when they were not before. Criminal Gangs Involved in a Lucrative Market Good quality dogs are now in high demand and the price of our canine chums has increased accordingly. Unfortunately, criminal gangs ever on the look out to make a cheap buck are cashing in on this and diversifying from other forms of criminal activity such as drug dealing and vehicle theft. As well as stealing dogs and puppies to sell criminal gangs are also stealing the breeding bitches in order to intensively breed them. The appetite for dogs is not just being met by theft here as it is apparent that dogs are being imported into the country from abroad . An ex-colleague from the police traveling over from France recently witnessed numerous van full of dogs in crates being carried in unacceptable conditions Detective Superintendent, Neil Austin, from the National Police Chiefs' Council recently told Sky News "With more people working from home, the demand for puppies has increased — as has the cost of purchasing a puppy — which has increased from around £500 to more than £2,000. This has become a lucrative market for organised criminals to exploit” ' Types of Dogs Being Stolen Whilst an article in Country Living reveals that whilst the older favourite targets for theft such as spaniels and labradors still feature highly. The new fashionable mixed breeds such as labradoodles and such like make it easier for unregistered breeders to cash in. Research conducted by the BBC reveal that dog theft increased by a staggering 250% in 2020. With hot spots in rural areas as thieves increasingly turn their attention to breeders. The BBC state a quarter of dogs are being stolen from gardens However the Kennel Club have report a bleaker picture stating • Over 2,000 dogs are stolen each year across the United Kingdom • Less than 5% of pet theft cases result in a conviction • Approximately 22% of stolen dogs are reunited with their owner • During lockdown, dog thefts in the Midlands increased by 65% • 52% of dogs are stolen from gardens Preventing Dog Theft The Kennel club and Country Life also give advice on how to prevent your do being stolen which includes • Get your dog a GPS tracking collar A GPS tracking collar means you can locate your dog at all times. • Make sure you dog is microchipped Speak to your vet and ensure that your pet is injected with a microchip and your details are logged an updated with Petlog, • Don't tie your dog up outside a shop • Don't leave your dog alone in a car • Practise recall and/or use extending lead Train your dog to return whenever and wherever they are called, in case they run off during a walk and you can't see them. Until their recall is good enough, use an extending lead when on a walk. • Avoid routine If you have heard about an increase in dog thefts in your area, it might be a good idea to avoid a routine when walking your dog and use different routes. This is to prevent potential thieves knowing where your dog might be at certain times. • Walk with a friend Buddy up with a friend and walk your dogs together if you are concerned, for safety in numbers. • Avoid location tags on social media We all love to share pictures of our dogs on social media but this could alert potential thieves to where you live and your dog's routine. • If your dog is having puppies. Puppies are more attractive to thieves because they will not be microchipped, have no pet ID and can therefore fetch a higher price when sold on. Be extra vigilant. • If your dog is a pedigree... You should be particularly careful if your dog is a pedigree as these are most in demand. • Secure your property Owners should ensure their homes and properties are properly secured. Consider planting raised hedging to make garden areas more private and opt for letting your dog play in the back garden as opposed to the front. How Can Secure Home Electrics Help With over 30yrs in the police and through my academic studies I am convinced that visible security measures such as CCTV and alarms or a major factor in dissuading offenders entering your property not least to the fact it shows offenders that you take your security seriously. Recent research indicate that as much as 16% of overall crime is prevented by CCTV and 26% of vehicle crime Whilst offenders hell bent on entering your property can wear clothing such as hoodies to hide there identity. There is a need to ensure that any invasion of your property is notified to you. The problem is in preventing false alarms which even the best CCTV system is prone to do. The best way to overcome this is to use high tech external sensors. Thankfully, the excellent products from Ajax, Pyronix and Orisec provide the solution. All of the systems rely upon multiple sensors being activated within the devices in order to trigger an alarm. In addition, anti-sway ensures that only offenders are detected rather than animals, swaying foliage and such like . Mask prevention combats offenders covering up the sensor by spraying it or putting something in front of it. All of our systems are capable of being linked to your CCTV system and will notify you immediately. In addition, scenarios are capable of being put in to place where other devices such as audible warning devices and lighting are activated. Call Secure Homes To day for a no obligation survey of your property 01480 891182 or 07970 824371 . References https://news.sky.com/story/dogs-stolen-used-for-breeding-and-held-to-ransom-in-explosion-of-pandemic-pet-thefts-12170268 https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a35079962/uk-dog-theft-lockdown/ https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/pets/a35079962/uk-dog-theft-lockdown/ https://www.skinners.co.uk/news/the-most-stolen-dogs-in-the-uk/ https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/about-us/campaigns/dog-thefts/ https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog/caring-for-your-new-puppy/protecting-against-dog-theft/ https://whatworks.college.police.uk/toolkit/Pages/Intervention.aspx?InterventionID=1
Local forums are indicating a rise in thefts and attempted thefts of Catalytic converters from cars in Sawtry and Brampton areas.
Mike Dixon a retired Detective Inspector now runs Secure Home Electrics in Cambridgeshire has copied advice from the West Yorkshire Police below on how you can protect yourself from this crime
Keep Your Systems Secure No one needs reminding that security systems needs to be both efficient and reliable. However, the imminent switch off of the old copper based PSTN system in 2025 could easily neutralise both the effectiveness and reliability of intrusion alarms. The reason for this is that lots of older security systems across the UK rely on analogue lines and the switch off in 2025 will affect them. The telephone systems in home and workplaces we grew up with are not much different to that which Eddison and Bell created many years ago where analogue signals were routed through the Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN) where calls passed through telephone exchanges. Changes to this began with mobile technology as calls did not have to pass through a central point and the method of communication moved from analogue signals to digital ones where a far greater amount of information could be passed. Communication has moved on to the internet based VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. How Can Secure Home Electrics Help You Secure Home Electrics are regularly being called to service older alarm systems which are linked through phone diallers which send alarms to individuals and alarm receiving centres. Many customers are being told that their old faithful systems are going to be upgraded with new technology. The purpose of this blog is to understand the reason why. Despite the fact that 2025 seems so far away, it’s better to prepare for it now. Otherwise, there is a risk of being stuck with an outdated security system that will be useless one day, and seemingly with no notice. This brings us to another important characteristic of the security system. It seems out that being “efficient and reliable” is not enough these days. It has to be future-proof. The future does not look promising for analogue lines, but this certainly unlocks some very bright and wireless opportunities for the UK customers. We spoke to Sam Griffiths one of our superb reps from Ajax Alarms and posed some questions to him What is happening? “The big PSTN and ISDN switch off in the UK”. It’s also known as “the mass VoIP migration”. In 2015, BT (British Telecom) announced their decision to switch off ISDN and PSTN services completely by 2025. This decision deactivates the ISDN and PSTN lines, which means no more copper wires. Basically, British Telecom proclaims the end of the analogue era. Analogue lines are disappearing, obviously taking archaic devices with them. What is PSTN and ISDN, once again? PSTN, or the Public switch phone network — the classic analogue telephone system. Like, from the 1800s. PSTN is used for phone calls and fax transmissions. Outdated security systems (intruder alarms) also use PSTN connections. ISDN, or the Integrated service digital network — is the first iteration of the internet. Like, from the 80s. It boasted “the fastest” internet connection at 128kbps. It doesn’t sound impressive in the era of new broadband internet access, but it was progressive back then. And there is the switch off. Why now? Because it’s time to think digital. It’s a global drive towards new technologies, and the removal of copper networks is just a part of it. As for practical reasons, the main cause is significant cost savings and an increase of functionality. Data must be sent quicker, and the costs should be lower. As for human resources, the people with expertise in such networks are retiring. The parts of the copper based services are becoming harder to source — therefore, the costs are becoming more obvious. As a result, PSTN and ISDN based security systems are dated, expensive and difficult to maintain. Above all, they are not so reliable anymore. Modern security systems must use several channels to communicate with ARC. The data transferred between the security system and ARC must be encrypted. Analogue lines just can’t provide such a level of protection. How does switchover affect security systems? Modern systems won’t even notice “the big switch off”. However, older and outdated intruder alarms will take a lot of time and attention. In 2019 there were nearly 3 million PSTN connected intruder alarms across the UK. Lots of monitored systems, which is the majority of commercial systems, still have PSTN or ISDN connections. From June 2021, at least 1.2 million premises will be affected by switchover. After this date, PSTN services will no longer be sold in Belfast, Birmingham, Cornwall, London, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. After the 2025 switch off, devices that rely on PSTN or ISDN communications will not signal. Which means, the property will be unmonitored and the user will be left unprotected. So… What to do? Choose a reliable way to communicate alarms, before 2025. Some recent solutions for PSTN based systems have appeared on the market these days. Physical devices that provide connectivity through VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) — upgrade old systems and extend their life for a while. However, such an approach can’t be considered as a long-time solution. In fact, systems that rely on analogue lines are most definitely 10,15 or even 20 years old. It’s time to move on and consider modern systems. Modern security systems can use various communication channels for the transmission of alarms to the user and the security company, like cellular network and cable internet. These systems have cloud servers. They deter burglars, recognize fire, detect flooding and control appliances — and above all, could be easily managed via mobile apps. Photo cameras verify alarms, and the app will notify lightning fast if something happens at home. Detectors are protected from false alarms by unique technologies of digital processing of sensor signals. Therefore, they don’t react to pets, but warn the user and alarm receiving centres (https://www.secure-home-electrics.co.uk/alarm-maintenance-and-monitoring) in case of real threats. At Secure Home Electrics we utilise a wide variety of systems which use both single paths pf communication and dual paths such as the excellent Ajax systems. Of course, or signalling is through the secure servers of CSL a certified industrial grade communications supplier. Many customers will be approached by their alarm companies over the next months and years and told to upgrade their systems. When this happens speak to us at Secure Home Electrics who will offer unbiased advice and provided high quality equipment with sensible and affordable maintenance packages.
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