Safe as houses
Lokale Immobilia talks to the experts, and finds that while the traditional low-tech solutions for foiling burglars don't hurt, homeowners have to invest a bit more if they want to keep their property safe and sound.
Although the crime rate in Poland has been steadily dropping over recent years, most of us know someone whose home has been broken into, and despite the fact that break-ins in Warsaw dropped by over 22 percent in the first quarter of this year on Q1 2004, revenues at security firms continue to rise. Over the past three years, the industry in Poland has grown by a healthy seven percent, with the top firms recording some 20-25 percent growth each year. So what do the experts say you need to do to keep your home secure?
Begin with the basics
Though it's tempting to go for the system that protects your property as if it were Fort Knox, you may want to consider some low-tech solutions that can often stop a criminal before he starts.
"First of all, good mechanical security is unavoidable," says Paweł Choim, director of the technical department at Solid security. Good locks are a part of this, but doors aren't the only place for a criminal to enter. The average burglar can pry open a window in just a few seconds - or simply break it. Choim recommends special anti-theft frames, readily available at any window retailer, as well as reinforced windowpanes, specifically of the P3 or P4 variety.
"The endurance of these panes is at such a level that making a hole in them will take some time. There will be a lot of noise, too, and that will discourage thieves," says Choim. Low-tech security measures include installing a false camera or simply slapping a sticker with a security firm's logo on the door. "This psychological barrier can work in some cases," says Małgorzata Kalińska, vice president at Juwentus Ochrona.
Of course, man's best friend is the oldest security system in the world, but experts are skeptical of the family dog's effectiveness. "It seems to [people] that their home is safer because that dog is there, but a person who knows how dogs behave, and how to approach dogs can very easily get around them," says Choim. He believes in another kind of lookout: "Good, trustworthy neighbors. That is a tried and tested method: when people look after each other."
Sound the alarm
You may want to gird your home with an electronic system that announces the presence of an intruder with an alarm. Juwentus' Kalińska calls this technology "basic" now, installed in or around most homes. For an everyday apartment, such systems are usually enough. However "there is one condition which I would strongly recommend: to monitor this alarm system," says Kalińska.
"Monitoring is necessary, because as we all well know, just a local alarm system doesn't do very much, because there won't be any intervention inside the home," says Solid's Choim. Like that car alarm in the parking lot, unless someone's watching over the property, a siren will go unheeded.
But as the security market has become more competitive, systems monitored 24 hours a day are ever more available to the common consumer. Some agencies offer installation for as little as zł.100, while monthly monitoring payments can come to less than your phone bill.
"We are trying to attack the Polish market quite aggressively," says Marek Biały, sales director of the alarm systems division at Group 4 Falck, which has recently announced a new rate of zł.15 per month for 24-hour monitoring. According to Biały, that is "absolutely the cheapest monitoring available on the Polish market." Falck offers installation of its system at a pricier zł.600, but it's possible to pay that off in installments. And Biały has an extra incentive for vacationers tight on time.
"We can install any kind of electronic security system within 48 hours, so in case the client is leaving in two or three days we can arrange the installation quite quickly," he says.
On camera
You can also make sure every inch of your home is under the security agency's watchful eye, with mounted cameras and a CCTV system.
"[I would recommend cameras] especially in some bigger properties, like villas and large houses," says Kalińska.
"With CCTV we can install a system where you can watch what's going on inside your house from anywhere in the world," says Falck's Biały. So if you're the type who gets anxious about his home while sunbathing, you can just pop into the nearest internet cafe to make sure that everything at home is ship-shape. If you're still not satisfied, security firms can now install "intelligent" systems that allow you to interact with your home via internet or SMS from halfway across the globe.
"For example, if you've left a light on in the bedroom or a window open in your living room, you could turn off this light or close this window," says Kalińska.
Those features come at a significant cost though. To work best, intelligent systems must be installed along with the electrical wires when the house is being built. That can double the cost of your electrical wiring - and that's not including the monitoring equipment, which will run to around zł.7,000.
Physical force
But for those for whom an electronic eye just won't do, there's always physical security - a security guard placed permanently on your property.
"Clients generally prefer the electronic systems - it's cheaper," says Biały. "While you can pay zł.15 per month with our basic monitoring, if you've got a security guard, you're paying much more." One security guard can cost around zł.10 per hour. If it's 24-hour monitoring, that's zł.240 per day."
An added benefit of installing any security system is that it will probably earn you some rebate or discount on your home insurance. The general rule is the more protection, the higher the discount. Kalińska says her clients can earn up to 40 percent off their insurance with her firm's security. Some security companies will offer partners' insurance along with their service. "If you sign a contract for the monitoring, we can offer additional insurance, up to zł.20,000 through our partner Tryg," Biały says. The insurance is free or zł.5 per month, depending on the level of security the customer has.
"It seems people only become smarter after a break-in," says Biały. "People are always surprised that such a thing can happen to them. They don't know that for an affordable price you can sleep and know that your home is safe, and that we can react within five minutes. What can a thief do in five minutes? Maybe steal your television, and that's it."
Although the crime rate in Poland has been steadily dropping over recent years, most of us know someone whose home has been broken into, and despite the fact that break-ins in Warsaw dropped by over 22 percent in the first quarter of this year on Q1 2004, revenues at security firms continue to rise. Over the past three years, the industry in Poland has grown by a healthy seven percent, with the top firms recording some 20-25 percent growth each year. So what do the experts say you need to do to keep your home secure?
Begin with the basics
Though it's tempting to go for the system that protects your property as if it were Fort Knox, you may want to consider some low-tech solutions that can often stop a criminal before he starts.
"First of all, good mechanical security is unavoidable," says Paweł Choim, director of the technical department at Solid security. Good locks are a part of this, but doors aren't the only place for a criminal to enter. The average burglar can pry open a window in just a few seconds - or simply break it. Choim recommends special anti-theft frames, readily available at any window retailer, as well as reinforced windowpanes, specifically of the P3 or P4 variety.
"The endurance of these panes is at such a level that making a hole in them will take some time. There will be a lot of noise, too, and that will discourage thieves," says Choim. Low-tech security measures include installing a false camera or simply slapping a sticker with a security firm's logo on the door. "This psychological barrier can work in some cases," says Małgorzata Kalińska, vice president at Juwentus Ochrona.
Of course, man's best friend is the oldest security system in the world, but experts are skeptical of the family dog's effectiveness. "It seems to [people] that their home is safer because that dog is there, but a person who knows how dogs behave, and how to approach dogs can very easily get around them," says Choim. He believes in another kind of lookout: "Good, trustworthy neighbors. That is a tried and tested method: when people look after each other."
Sound the alarm
You may want to gird your home with an electronic system that announces the presence of an intruder with an alarm. Juwentus' Kalińska calls this technology "basic" now, installed in or around most homes. For an everyday apartment, such systems are usually enough. However "there is one condition which I would strongly recommend: to monitor this alarm system," says Kalińska.
"Monitoring is necessary, because as we all well know, just a local alarm system doesn't do very much, because there won't be any intervention inside the home," says Solid's Choim. Like that car alarm in the parking lot, unless someone's watching over the property, a siren will go unheeded.
But as the security market has become more competitive, systems monitored 24 hours a day are ever more available to the common consumer. Some agencies offer installation for as little as zł.100, while monthly monitoring payments can come to less than your phone bill.
"We are trying to attack the Polish market quite aggressively," says Marek Biały, sales director of the alarm systems division at Group 4 Falck, which has recently announced a new rate of zł.15 per month for 24-hour monitoring. According to Biały, that is "absolutely the cheapest monitoring available on the Polish market." Falck offers installation of its system at a pricier zł.600, but it's possible to pay that off in installments. And Biały has an extra incentive for vacationers tight on time.
"We can install any kind of electronic security system within 48 hours, so in case the client is leaving in two or three days we can arrange the installation quite quickly," he says.
On camera
You can also make sure every inch of your home is under the security agency's watchful eye, with mounted cameras and a CCTV system.
"[I would recommend cameras] especially in some bigger properties, like villas and large houses," says Kalińska.
"With CCTV we can install a system where you can watch what's going on inside your house from anywhere in the world," says Falck's Biały. So if you're the type who gets anxious about his home while sunbathing, you can just pop into the nearest internet cafe to make sure that everything at home is ship-shape. If you're still not satisfied, security firms can now install "intelligent" systems that allow you to interact with your home via internet or SMS from halfway across the globe.
"For example, if you've left a light on in the bedroom or a window open in your living room, you could turn off this light or close this window," says Kalińska.
Those features come at a significant cost though. To work best, intelligent systems must be installed along with the electrical wires when the house is being built. That can double the cost of your electrical wiring - and that's not including the monitoring equipment, which will run to around zł.7,000.
Physical force
But for those for whom an electronic eye just won't do, there's always physical security - a security guard placed permanently on your property.
"Clients generally prefer the electronic systems - it's cheaper," says Biały. "While you can pay zł.15 per month with our basic monitoring, if you've got a security guard, you're paying much more." One security guard can cost around zł.10 per hour. If it's 24-hour monitoring, that's zł.240 per day."
An added benefit of installing any security system is that it will probably earn you some rebate or discount on your home insurance. The general rule is the more protection, the higher the discount. Kalińska says her clients can earn up to 40 percent off their insurance with her firm's security. Some security companies will offer partners' insurance along with their service. "If you sign a contract for the monitoring, we can offer additional insurance, up to zł.20,000 through our partner Tryg," Biały says. The insurance is free or zł.5 per month, depending on the level of security the customer has.
"It seems people only become smarter after a break-in," says Biały. "People are always surprised that such a thing can happen to them. They don't know that for an affordable price you can sleep and know that your home is safe, and that we can react within five minutes. What can a thief do in five minutes? Maybe steal your television, and that's it."
