SAS Urban Survival Handbook (63 page)

Alarms/false alarms

Bells, sirens, flashing lights (inside and out) are common. The intention should be to attract attention and (hopefully) to scare off an intruder. Do NOT invest in a system which cannot be programmed to switch off after a selected period (20-30 minutes or as dictated by local legislation)—otherwise false alarms which sound for several hours will make neighbours very angry indeed. Try to arrange for a trusted neighbour to have access to deactivate the alarm. Too many false alarms in a neighbourhood and people may stop paying attention to them.

Inform the police that you have had an alarm fitted and supply the names of all keyholders who can enter your home and switch off the alarm. More recent innovations are alarms which cease to sound after a predetermined period—and then re-arm themselves.

In an area where alarms are a nuisance or there is no one to hear them, they should be linked directly to the police or a security company. There need be no indication to the intruder that the alarm has been triggered and that the police are on their way. This arrangement can be very expensive, especially since there are penalties for false alarms.

To protect security system wires from malicious damage, ask telephone and security companies NOT to run them on outer walls where they can be cut or tampered with. If this is unavoidable, feed them through sturdy conduits.

PANIC BUTTONS

Most systems can incorporate panic buttons. These are particularly sensible for the elderly and people living alone. Have as many as you feel you need – one beside the bed, one in each room. If you are attacked in your home, or have an accident that requires urgent medical attention, hit the button! Panic alarms for wireless systems may be powerful enough to work outside the house – if you were sitting in the garden, for instance.

Personal alarms

If you are elderly, or live alone, you may need to rely on your neighbours in an emergency. A simple wired ‘doorbell’ from your house to theirs may suffice, but the problem is that neighbours are not always in.

Systems are now available which involve you carrying a small transmitter or wearing one like a wristwatch. When triggered within an area that would easily include house and garden, it will automatically transmit a signal down a telephone line if help is suddenly needed because of illness, accident or threat. This alerts a 24-hour monitoring centre, which calls back immediately to check for accidental false alarms and will send help if there is no reply.

If such a system is used, a codeword or phrase should be arranged from the outset. A victim of attack may be forced to say that nothing is wrong, but if the codeword is used the monitoring centre will know they are under duress.

If you need advice

Advice on all security matters—from locks to full security systems—is available from several sources:

• ◑ Local police, who will also have a good knowledge of any particular local problems
  
• ◑ Insurance companies
  
• ◑ Lock and alarm manufacturers and installers
  

KEEP WATCH

Neighbourhood Watch, Crimewatch and comparable vigilance schemes, in which neighbours form a group to beat local crime, have been started in many cities all over the world. The idea is for everyone to keep an eye out for any peculiar or suspicious activity – strangers paying unusual attention to a house, for instance – and report it to the police. Such groups also serve to develop members’ awareness of security.

Times have changed – small close-knit communities could usually spot a stranger, but it is impossible nowadays to know the pattern of other people’s lives and to recognize their friends and visitors in most large cities. On the other hand, in densely-populated areas there may be more eyes to do the watching! Even where there has been no positive reduction in the local crime rate, such schemes seem to have led to better relations within the community and to a reduction in stress from fear of crime.

If you want to start or join such a group, your local police station will be able to tell you who to contact – or how to start one.

LOOK OUT FOR . . .

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  Strangers knocking on front doors and peering through windows
  
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  Anyone loitering suspiciously
  
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  Cars cruising slowly
  
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  Strangers hanging around schools and playing fields
  
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  Strangers approaching children
  
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  ‘Casual’ window cleaners
  
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  Strangers trying car doors
  
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  People you do not recognize disappearing round the back of properties
  

LEAVING THE HOUSE

• ◑ Always lock all doors, close and lock all windows. Check that keys have not been left in locks.
  
• ◑ Leave lights on if you are out at night—not just a hallway or porch light. Use a timeswitch so that they come on at dusk (random ones switch lights on and off ‘realistically’).
  
• ◑ At night, ALWAYS draw curtains or close shutters so that no one can see in.
  
• ◑ Leave a radio on.
  
• ◑ Burglars tend to be wary of a dog—it might attack them or attract attention by its barking. If you have no desire for a dog, you could try a ‘dog alarm’. Some of the more recent ones have quite a realistic ‘bark’. You could set it up with a vibration or movement detector.
  
• ◑ Make sure valuables are not visible through windows.
  
• ◑ Always close a garage door—an empty garage is an indication that you are not at home.
  
• ◑ Always lock garage/outbuilding doors to prevent access to tools or ladders.
  
• ◑ Do not leave a key in ANY hiding place—however ‘clever’ you think it is. Leave a key with a friend or trusted neighbour in case you lose yours.
  
• ◑ If you let workmen have keys to the house, change the main rim locks afterwards (and consider changing the mortise locks too). Keep the old rim lock cylinder and key—you can replace them if you need to change the keys again. This is where a digital combination lock can be an advantage! You only have to change the combination.
  

REMEMBER

Random timers, which switch the lights on and off erratically, can help create an impression that the house is occupied. Regular timers with one or more on/off phases allow you to create your own pattern of lights. A very observant burglar, who is keeping an eye on YOUR home over several nights, may notice repeating patterns. It will certainly be noticed if no lights ever come on!

PHONE SENSE

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  NEVER leave an answering machine message for callers to tell them that you are out. A message such as ‘We can’t come to the phone at the moment’ leaves a certain doubt as to whether the house is occupied or not.
  
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  If you regularly need to give callers numbers at which you can be contacted, NEVER do so on your prerecorded answering machine message. Arrange with the telephone company for calls to be automatically transferred. You will have to pay for the service, but callers will be unaware that they have not got through on the number they dialled.
  

Going away

• ◑ Ask trusted neighbours to be observant and keep an eye open for any suspicious activity.
  
• ◑ Cancel all deliveries—but do NOT leave notes outside the door to advertise the fact.
  
• ◑ Ask a neighbour to ensure that nothing is left outside and that mail/circulars are not hanging out of the letterbox.
  
• ◑ Leave curtains OPEN—it looks less unusual to have them open at night than to have them closed during the day.
  
• ◑ If possible get neighbours or friends to come in and switch lights on and off and close the curtains during the evening. Their activity will help to make the house look occupied.
  
• ◑ If you have a driveway, ask a neighbour or friend to park there occasionally instead of outside their own house.
  
• ◑ If away for a long period and you have a lawn, get a neighbour to trim it for you or it will be another sign that you are away.
  
• ◑ Take valuables to the bank safe deposit.
  
• ◑ Best of all—arrange for a reliable friend to move in while you are away. Cities are full of people sharing accommodation or living with relations. They may welcome a break on their own—they solve the problem of looking after pets and plants as well!
  

Returning home

By day:
Ensure everything is as you expect it to be. Give the house a quick scan from as many sides as possible for obvious signs—a forced door or broken windows. If there are ANY signs of disturbance or anything that makes you suspicious, go to a neighbour’s house and telephone the police. DO NOT GO INTO YOUR HOME. THE INTRUDERS MAY STILL BE THERE.

By night:
Having an outside light left on, or one activated by a movement detector, makes it easier to check for signs of entry. Are curtains disturbed? Are the correct lights on/off? If you arrive by car and see any sign of trouble, drive on. Go to a neighbour’s or a callbox to call the police. Even if all seems OK, DON’T put the car away. Park/lock the car and go closer to check that everything is normal. If you still feel something is wrong, do NOT go in.

INTRUDERS AT NIGHT

If you are woken at night by the sound of intruders, do NOT attempt to confront them! Don’t pretend to be asleep either! Switch on lights and make plenty of noise as though you are unaware someone else is in the house. If you are on your own, call out and pretend to be talking to someone else (it may help if the imaginary companion is male). Telephone the police from the bedroom or as soon as you can safely reach your phone.

▶ SEE EMERGENCY! PANEL AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER FOR FURTHER DETAILS. SEE ALSO RELEVANT HOME SAFETY INFORMATION IN THE SAFETY FIRST CHAPTER IF YOU’RE GOING AWAY.

SECURITY AT WORK

A large commercial or industrial establishment with secret processes and highly ‘sensitive’ information MUST be as secure as a prison – only in reverse. Several rings of security may be needed to keep people OUT. Devices of the types used for
domestic security, often in more sophisticated forms, can be used to alert people to a break-in outside work hours. During work hours, thorough security procedures will also be necessary.

Obviously, the level of secrecy of the work in hand dictates the level of security needed. Most businesses have some sort of information which may be useful to competitors—yet many businesses have VERY low security standards! In extreme cases an outer fence, patrolled at night or protected by guard dogs, should be considered. The number of gates should be kept to a minimum and strictly controlled.

There should be only one main entrance, monitored by a security guard or team. Final entry to the premises should be through a controlled door—to avoid people ‘slipping’ past. Inner layers of even greater security may be required, with only one route leading to areas where secret work is undertaken or strong rooms/safes and ‘sensitive’ records are kept. Access to such areas should be limited to authorized personnel.

Visitors must NOT be allowed to wander unescorted around a building at their leisure. It is amazing how many companies DO have ‘secrets’ of one sort or another, yet report that ‘casual’ thieves have wandered in and stolen employees’ coats, bags and possessions! A ‘professional’ thief should find easy pickings in such a place.

When work hours are over, all unnecessary access routes should be sealed. Staff in ‘sensitive’ areas should be disciplined to leave NOTHING on show, to lock computer disks away and to be VERY careful what they throw in waste bins. Spies are not above ‘raiding the garbage’.

Reception desks

High-security measures are inappropriate for many businesses, but some form of control must be exercised to ensure that unauthorised visitors do not gain entrance. A voice communication link—an ‘entryphone’—will only allow nominal identification. The drawbacks are enormous—the telephonist cannot see if the person is alone or if they are carrying a weapon, for instance. If all expected visitors’ names and the purposes of their visits are kept in a log book, a receptionist could (at least) tell if the caller has an appointment.

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) entry system would give more chance to vet a visitor, who could be asked to show credentials to the camera. The camera should be linked to a video recorder—this alone might deter a dishonest person who does not want to be recognized.