Why Is My Security Not Working? Part 2 – How To Make it Work.

In part one of this blog, we discussed the common issues we encounter with many people who have security systems that ‘do not work’. 

Let’s not waste any time and discuss what can be done to make your security system reliable, safe, stop intrusions before they commit offences and most of all: work for you. 

What Are The Solutions To These Security Problems?

People should feel safe in their work or home environment and property should be protected from damage or theft… That should be the goal of any security system. We specialise in security measures for environments that other security systems cannot cover; large, open spaces, buildings or perimeters with a large footprint or areas within environments that may not be covered by conventional systems. 

When measures are in place and they do not prove effective, it’s time to reassess the real need and provide practical, actionable solutions. Repeated criminal activity within an area will affect insurance premiums, your ability to work and can have lasting effects on mental health, safety and in the worst possible cases, a danger to life. 

Here’s how we suggest you tackle problematic security, whether or not you choose Safe Security Solutions to work with:

Qualified and Experienced Security Assessment:

Before even considering a quote from a security firm, it’s always worth picking their brains and seeing what checks out. For the sake of a phone call or a couple of emails, you should make sure they really know their stuff. 

Often a salesman (or local electrician) will simply ask your budget and provide security that fits within that but will not take the time to understand the threats you face. If this is the case, you may as well save your money as we guarantee the system will not work. 

Identify Threats and Entry Points:

This should underpin any suggested security measures before installation is ever approved. An experienced security provider should look at ground plans, satellite images, roads in and out, access points and existing security or perimeter protection before they ever recommend a security system to protect that area. 

Every client’s needs are unique and every threat is must be considered when designing the measures that need to be put in place. This is especially true when a large area needs to be covered and protected… Basic security will rarely provide more than a visual deterrent which will make little difference to opportunistic criminals and pose no threat to organised gangs. 

Detection Is Key:

The most important factor for any security system should be to identify a genuine threat and take action, the moment that happens. This could happen in a number of ways such as alarms, live video feeds, bright lighting, sirens or live notifications. 

We mentioned “passive security” earlier in the previous article and we’d define that as any system with does not identify a threat and take immediate action.

Eliminating False Alarms:

False alarms happen because of any number of issues like the incorrect placement of cameras (see below), bad weather such as rain, fog, snow or even wind, items obscuring views such as plants, hedges or trees, wildlife and pets, access paths for workers or members of the public or external factors like vehicles, machinery or loud noises.

These simply issues will often lead to so many false-positive alarms that a security system will be disabled by the system owner to combat the annoyance it creates.

The simple answer is to install a system in the first place that actually detects and identifies a threat… We call this ‘pre-detection. Not every movement or trigger is a genuine threat and you may only wish to monitor a given area rather… This is why our camera systems have digital tripwires and pre-set detection zones. Our buried systems are not only invisible but can be tweaked so the sensitivity will ignore small animals or wildlife but pick up humans and vehicles… In both cases alerting you and letting you know that an intrusion is taking place. 

You may also wish to consider fence-mounted detection systems or even our radar systems. We can help identify the issues, the system needed and eliminate those false alarms. 

The Correct System And Effective Placement:

As mentioned above, the correct system and correct placement of that system is the key to effective security.

Most security systems will be basic, out of the box systems that have no real plan or understanding of the threat they are required to protect against. It is vital that an environment is assessed for entry points, “weak spots’”, camera angles, neighbouring threats, intrusion zones and all of this must be done whilst respecting the rules of local authorities or grade-listed status. 

Once a clear understanding of the full perimeter is conducted you can look at the best systems to suit those needs. They may be budget restrictions or limitations that mean this system might not always be possible but any security solution we recommend or install can be upgraded, reinforced or adapted as and when we are told to do so. 

Active Deterrents and Immediate Action:

This is by far the easiest problem to remedy. We have talked about passive security and this would cover almost every basic system out there: CCTV for example, will record and capture footage of criminals in the act but take no action and gather evidence of the crime. It is simply not effective if you want to stop threats. 

Immediate action is the key and this can come in many forms. From basic alarms and sirens to flashing beacons or spotlights, right up to pre-recorded audio messages being played to the criminals and live notifications to your phone or computer with footage of the threat via live stream or pinpointing of the area of intrusion. 

As our systems can cover very wide areas, each solution will vary based on what is most effective (or permitted within the circumstances) but the end goal should always be the same: Detect the intrusion and take action immediately to stop it.

Removing The Criminals Ability To Bypass Security:

We have spoken in the past about how criminals can quite easily bypass standard security especially if they are organised. We do not want to list these bypassing measures and give anyone any ideas so we’ll simply say that security is only as effective as its ability to remain active. 

If power can be cut or alerts can be stopped then security can be bypassed. This may also include obvious environmental issues like weather conditions, waterproofing, darkness and natural occurrences. 

If wildlife and wind (for example) are triggering an alarm system then it stops being effective. All systems would have the goal of alerting the right people the moment a threat presents itself and this may be crossing an invisible line and triggering underground detectors, mounting or cutting a fence and triggering fence mounted detection or passing an invisible tripwire and opening a live camera feed with alerts to the people in charge of security.

Removing the element of doubt and a criminal’s ability to bypass security is the only way of ensuring a threat is stopped before it turns into a crime scene. 

Using Current Security Measures And Improving Them: 

Wherever possible, a security provider should look at the system you already have in place of the barriers and infrastructure that surround your property. You may already have protection that is not effective because it’s not correctly placed such as camera systems or fencing that can be bypassed or climbed because there is no fence intrusion detection in place. 

We provide some of the best security software available in the UK which can be used to enhance existing security and tie it all together to cover the entire perimeter and ensure all systems work in unison to stop intruders in their tracks.

Taking Action:

Security issues will never go away until systems are in place to stop the threats. You may be held back by the potential costs or the disruption that a new system installation will cause. 

Costs will always be relative; if you can afford to lose equipment and waste time on chasing up insurance but feel safe then you may wish to wait. If you want things to change then please feel free to get in touch with the expert Safe Security Solutions team who will take action and help stop the threats. 

The next step is up to you. Recognising a problem is only effective when we take action to fix the cause. 

Every issue can be resolved and we’ll help you every step of the way in finding an effective, affordable, advanced security system that works exactly as you want it to.