Stolen…From Tarporley, Cheshire on 13 July 2003, a unique pair of old, carved, red sandstone lions couchant, one lion with front paws crossed, one with straight paws, both mounted on chamfered plinths, each approximately 44 inches long by 22·5 inches wide, the stone weathered and worn with distinctive lichen markings...
Stolen…A Kawasaki quad bike and trailer were stolen from a barn and workshop at Alconbury overnight on Tuesday and Huntingdon police want information. The green 220 quad disappeared with the trailer on which it is towed. A mig welder and other items also disappeared from the farm premises in Great North Road...
Stolen...On February 4 2003 from the outhouse and grounds of a country manor house near Devizes, Wiltshire – a Stihl chainsaw and 24 period-design lamp posts.
And so the list goes on…These newspaper clippings demonstrate just how rural crime has risen, with incidents becoming more frequent. Gone are the days when the countryside was regarded as tranquil and safe – the rural environment has rich pickings for casual thieves and organised crime rings stealing to order for wealthy patrons. You might think that thieves would pass up the chance to remove more difficult items such as heavy architectural stoneware, roofing, stone-flagged terraces, racehorses and farm animals, but no. The rule of thumb is: if it's portable and it's valuable, then it's worth stealing.
According to some commentators, the rural crime wave is reaching epidemic proportions. A recent survey conducted by the BBC revealed that 55% of farmers have been burgled; 45% have had their property vandalised; 20% have suffered arson attacks and 10% have experienced violent physical abuse. And it's not just farmers who are at risk. According to Pamela Oldfield of NFU Mutual, a leading UK rural insurance company, thieves are increasingly targeting country homes and four-by-four vehicles.
It doesn't help, of course, that the police presence in rural areas is dwindling. The loss of 730 police stations across Britain over the last ten years means that it is now up to patrol cars to cope with increasing crime.
Staying safe
Schemes such as Farm and Rural Watch have been set up to encourage neighbours to watch each other's property. Yet rural communities are often more spread out and remote than their urban counterparts, and the idea that there will always be someone keeping a watchful eye over the garden fence does not apply out of town. Also, most farms and country homes have numerous outbuildings, such as stables, outhouses, barns, tool sheds, garages etc, which do not have mains electricity to power conventional security systems. Running extension power or alarm wiring to these can be difficult, expensive or both.
In the security field, wireless technology has come into its own in recent years as a powerful way to fight crime. The beauty of wireless security is that it can oversee locations that are difficult and costly to connect to the mains supply.
A wireless solution
Electrical contractors that operate in the countryside are increasingly agreeing that wireless security is ideal for rural communities. Therein lies a major business opportunity.
The Logisty wireless alarm and entry control systems have the added advantage that they include a gsm alarm transmitter and do not use mains power, so they do not need telephone lines. This makes them suited to isolated or rural applications.
The products are already used extensively throughout Europe in residential, commercial and remote and outdoor applications.
Logisty security systems, which are available exclusively through electrical wholesalers, open up a whole new market for electrical contractors that operate in country areas as part of their regular work catchment area.
The systems are quick and simple to install. There are various types of detector offered to suit the varying needs of properties: passive infrared (pir) to detect movement of intruders; smoke detectors; glass-break detectors and door/window contacts; and a universal transmitter to connect any normally closed switch (door contact, relay, etc).
Flood and frost alert detectors are also available – a different kind of security alert but very useful in these days of uncertain weather conditions.
If security is breached, the detector sends a wireless signal to a central control panel. This processes the signal according to the type of detector and predetermined local alarm or remote signalling options. Appropriate signals are then passed on by wireless technology to local sirens and a telephone auto-dialler or gsm transmitter.
The alarm transmitter is programmed to send speech messages to those responsible for the property security. The message will comprise the site location, the type of event and an identifying account number, for example: stable yard, intrusion, account 010203, plus address and postal code. Up to three people can be called per event, giving each the ability to acknowledge the alarm and take any pre-agreed action. A SIM card for the network of choice is necessary to complete the system.
Meanwhile, the security breach will have triggered a 110 dB siren and flashing strobe built into a strategically placed control panel. Additional wireless sirens, with or without strobes, can be added externally or internally, providing a highly effective means of deterrence, unsettling intruders and alerting those in the vicinity that a problem exists.
Control for the system is via a wireless keypad and remote devices with which the system is armed or disarmed using a dedicated code. Being wireless, the control panel can be fixed anywhere.
The systems in use
A question that everyone asks is how reliable are wireless security systems? Will your customers be able to sleep at night knowing that their property is being watched over by wireless technology?
Logisty systems employ a patented dual-frequency system that uses two complementary radio frequencies, providing an ultra-high degree of signal reliability against deliberate or accidental interference. Attempts to tamper with or jam the device provides an alert, triggering appropriate annunciation.
Individual site and detector coding ensures system integrity, while independence from mains power by using professional lithium battery packs with a normal operational battery life of over three years eliminates problems due to mains interference or failure. The system is simple to install, having no wiring to damage decor or loop across yards. Contractors should take care not to miss out on this growing work opportunity – be part of the wireless revolution.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
Postscript
Graham Piggott is managing director of Atral UK, manufacturer of Logisty wireless security alarm and entry control systems.
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