HNWI burglaries on the increase

A string of brazen robberies targeting high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) seems to be on the increase and not just in the UK. Over the last few years, this new trend seems to have threatened and upset luxury sales in Paris, the world’s fashion capital. 

The actual extent to which robberies of HNWIs are contributing to slumping luxury sales in Paris is hard to know. But it has also been noted that many clients now want to shop with their personal bodyguards for added protection and security.

It seems that in these modern times, we are in a ‘society of risk’ due to exposure on social media and for that we need to re-evaluate how we look after and protect ourselves. This is now becoming a global trend and we have to pay attention to it. These kinds of things could start happening in any major city or town in the future as ‘nothing succeeds like success’.  

When these hostiles see that what they are doing is working and that they are succeeding and getting away with it, they are going to continue to carry on doing it and others will actively follow suit.

So, this relatively new trend of having bodyguards with you when you are shopping can be a good idea if you genuinely believe that you could be at risk. But what do you do when you are at home during the day or asleep of a night time?

The last thing any family wants is to have 7ft tall, 6ft wide bodyguards patrolling the house estate or standing outside your bedroom door. It can cause further stress, it will create further negative thoughts of the world out there, it will have massive cost implications and humans can fail quite easily at any point.

This is where we look at HNWI residential security quite differently.

Over the last few years we have been involved with many HNWI clients who have been subjected to attempted break-ins or violent burglaries in their own homes and even more so in the new age of social media whereby access to people’s enviable lifestyle is clearly visible and desirable. 

This level of person generally has a larger than normal property and generally larger than normal grounds which can run into 100’s of acres. This alone can cause a number of major issues for security – how do you secure a large perimeter and open grounds? Firstly, cost is always a major thought, security is very rarely high on the priority list until something happens.

So, people will apply the normal security measures they know and understand 1. Gate intercom with a video camera, 2. Some ‘strategically’placed CCTV cameras, 3. External security lights, 4. High security building alarm with door and window sensors, and luxuries such as: 5. Possible panic button, 6. Safe room/s,

These systems are great, BUT, 1. What if the person walks around and jumps over a wall or comes through the tree’s? 2. Is anyone really monitoring the CCTV cameras? 3. Would you really notice if the security lights come on? 4. The alarm is great when a window is smashed or a door is forced, 5. Would you have time to activate the panic button? 6. Would the family have time to get to a safe room?

Conventional systems have problems as they all cause a problem with ‘your time’. Do they give you time to react? If the family is spread around the home, would they all have time to react? Would they know what to do if a break in occurs? Would panic set in if someone smashed a window right now?

This is where Perimeter Intrusion Detection systems (PIDS) really works. We utilise a number of different systems which can work for all types of properties and grounds. Our systems are designed to create an early warning system which gives you minutes to use: 1. Time to react, 2. Time to gather the family, 3. Time to hit the panic button, 4. Time to get to a safe room.

Depending upon a client’s property layout and requirements, we use a number of different technologies which can include: fence mounted detection sensors that can convert an existing fence into a fully functional detection sensor, buried ground sensors that can detect any unusual movements across difficult perimeters, hidden radar panels that can detect human of vehicular movement several km’s away, discreet laser detection sensors that can cover a radius of up to 250 metres, long range automated CCTV cameras that can track and trace a person 1-3km’s away

Once a perimeter activation has been detected, additional security measures could already be taking place while you are making sure your family is safe, this would be your only focus, while behind the scenes the system and additional people will be controlling the situation. 

The perimeter activation could have also  set off a number of localised systems that have made the intruders aware that they have been pre-detected,  the activation is linked to an external control / monitoring security team who are now monitoring the activation with onsite long-range CCTV cameras, special long range spotlights are automatically tracking the intruders, the Police have already been contacted, a security patrol could be dispatched or your own on site security officers are attending the area of intrusion to intercept the persons. 

But with the pre-warnings at the perimeter locations, there is a very high chance they have decided to move away quickly and not proceed with their plans as fear and concern has been triggered in their mind. Fear and flight works wonders.

Different solutions can be applied to each potential threat, each and every system is designed to create that early detection which now gives you time. Time is now the most important factor for your family’s personal security.