The term “peace of mind” is referred to a lot these days especially within the security industry. Time and time again companies promise that their product and/or service will provide it, but very rarely are they able to demonstrate exactly how they will deliver on their promise.
In order to solve this age old challenge, we must first ensure we gain a deeper understanding of what causes ones angst as well as have the tenured experience to know which solution or more often than not, which combination of solutions are required to adequately mitigate the risk.
With 20 years of experience protecting thousands of Australian homes and businesses, Signal Security has been building on its experience and continuously evolving its thinking with the aim of formalising a methodology that all team members can be trained in to help its customers achieve “true” peace of mind.
At the core of this methodology is what Signal Security CEO and Co-founder Justin Nesvanulica refers to as the “Hierarchy of Electronic Security” – the logical order to which systems and services should be considered to deliver maximum impact and return on investment.
Most people are under the impression that the number one priority for the security industry is to prevent loss and/or damage to property. In fact, the industry’s core priority is much more meaningful, it’s to prevent harm to the most valuable asset we will ever possess… OURSELVES!
Therefore it is important to understand that achieving peace of mind is not simply about installing a CCTV camera outside of your premise but about understanding why certain systems are installed, what their core purpose is and how layering numerous systems and services will go a long way to stopping those fleeting thoughts of whether or not your security has been compromised.
With so much on the line, where do we start? There is nothing more effective in preventing harm and loss than a professionally installed intrusion detection system (burglar alarm) with fixed or portable panic buttons. Depending on the size, shape and layout of a property, coupled with its level of risk, an intrusion detection system can come in all shapes and sizes with various types of detection devices i.e. motion detectors, door/window switches and glass breakage detectors.
Nonetheless, the key to preventing harm and loss is trying to detect an unauthorised entry as close to the perimeter as possible and ensuring there are an adequate amount of warning lights and sirens once activated, the attention drawn to the property will make even the most brazen criminals limit their time within the property, therefore minimising the opportunity for loss and in most cases preventing it completely.
Having sirens sound as early as possible becomes even more important if there are people residing in the property at the time of an invasion as it provides valuable seconds for an attempt to retreat to the most secure areas of the property. Fixed or portable panic buttons are an extremely effective way to activate sirens moments before or during an attempted invasion as occupants can trigger sirens as soon as they feel threatened. The piercing sound of internal sirens are designed to cause havoc on the human middle ear which in itself will naturally drive intruders out reducing the likelihood of altercations occurring between them and the occupants inside.
Intrusion detection systems are cost effective, provide exceptional value for money and should be considered first and foremost before all other security products. An intrusion detection system is the only solution that will actually minimise the impact of an unauthorised intrusion and should form the foundation of any comprehensive security solution.
In its raw form, an intrusion detection system is a powerful tool that drives intruders away with its loud sirens and flashing lights but relies heavily on neighbours and passers-by to act swiftly in the case of an emergency. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age sounding alarm sirens will more often than not be ignored.
The only way to guarantee a response is to connect your intrusion detection system to a professional security monitoring centre. With highly trained security monitoring professionals available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that every alarm signal received is dealt with in the shortest amount of time possible and that help can be sent in times that you need it most.
Most people are unaware that all mainstream intrusion detection systems are designed to be professionally monitored and have inbuilt features to request help via the monitoring centre, where the services of the Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade can all be summoned at the touch of a button. In addition to being notified in the unfortunate event of a break in, you will also have a quick and convenient way of requesting assistance in the event you are faced with a life-threatening emergency.
Adding a professional monitoring service to your system is an easy way to transform your “noise maker” into a potential life saver and contrary to what you may think a lifesaving service such as this could cost, it’s actually really affordable with your investment being less than half a cup of coffee a day.
If a professionally installed intrusion detection system will aid in the prevention of harm and loss, and the addition of a professional monitoring service to the system will initiate an emergency response. Then what next? We need to find a way to assist with the real time verification of events as well as being able to retrospectively go back in time and review any events of interest which leads us to integrating surveillance cameras (CCTV system) into the fold.
Should an unfortunate event occur at your property the monitoring centre will call you to inform you of the breach. Being informed that a movement detector has been activated is one thing, however being able to cross reference it with live video footage is another. Having the ability to quickly and easily review as much information as possible on your smart device or laptop computer pertaining to the incident is crucial to obtaining the quickest Police response possible. A CCTV system will allow you to see what happened, show you how it happened, provide a full timeline of events from start to finish and give you every opportunity of identifying those responsible. Without this information it will be almost impossible to track down and prosecute the perpetrators and recover any of your losses.
A professionally installed CCTV system is the perfect companion to your intrusion detection system and professional monitoring service and should not be considered before the previous solutions are in place. Without them intruders will have nothing to drive them away from the premise and will allow them an ample amount of time to spend searching your property for items of value. Nothing is more frustrating that being a victim of a burglary only to watch recorded footage of how they did it and got away with it. Worse yet, arriving onsite only to find that your CCTV recorder with all your recorded footage was also taken.
Adding a professionally installed CCTV system is an important addition to overall security and should be treated as such. Being a passive solution, CCTV will never stop or minimise an incident from occurring it will merely show you how it happened.
Remember, peace-of-mind can come from the implementation of a range of security products and services, however, as a security provider with over 20 years’ experience, we believe that the way to achieve true peace of mind is by following the above steps.
If true peace of mind is your goal, there is no better way to go about your electronic security than making sure that you’re minimising loss and harm, initiating an immediate response and finally, verifying incidents and gathering evidence.
Want to achieve “true” peace of mind?
Our friendly, knowledgeable team of security specialists are on hand to assist with any security challenges you may be experiencing. To organise a free, no obligation on site security risk assessment please contact our team on 1300 73 83 93.
