3 minute read
Editorial
REMOTE MAINTENANCE & MORE FREQUENT HEALTH CHECKS = MORE REVENUE & HAPPIER CUSTOMERS
EASY SYSTEM PROGRAMMING, CUSTOMER & BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, ALL IN ONE PLACE
TEXECOM CLOUD + TEXECOM MONITOR IS A FUTURE READY, TURN-KEY SOLUTION FOR UPGRADES FOR THE PSTN SWITCH-OFF
CONTROLLED AND MANAGED ACCESS GIVES YOU COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOUR ALARM SYSTEM PORTFOLIO
RELIABLE, ENCRYPTED MONITORED ALARM SIGNALLING
www.psimagazine.co.uk
A domestic chore
One of the great unanswered questions regarding security is why so few homeowners bother with protection. CCTV has proven popular and video doorbell sales are going strong, but why not take care of the home?
Last month in this column I touched on the subject of the role of insurers in the take-up of security systems and why they seem reluctant to pass on savings for customers who have reduced the risks of burglary claims by installing technology. The homeowners themselves appear to be rather relaxed on the subject of protecting their most valuable purchase and its contents. Plus of course, security tech keeps safe the people inside the premises as well so it is all rather a mystery as to why there is a gap in the domestic market for protection.
What is even more of a mystery are the confusing messages being reported in a recent survey put out by ADT who interviewed 2,000 UK homeowners to find out how safe people feel in their own homes and how security-conscious the population is overall.
Over one-third (34.15%) of respondents to the survey have a video doorbell installed at their property, while one in three (30.65%) of respondents have CCTV installed in their homes. The study found that an equal percentage of people have no home security at all. Ok, that sounds about right with what we know about the domestic market. The introduction of Ring and similar systems has quickly grown the video doorbell market alongside our use of smartphones - in fact anything with an app appears to be rather popular, so the CCTV listed in the survey is likely to mainly cover Wi-Fi indoor cameras rather than external, professionally installed units.
Confusion kicks in with results showing that 67.85% of Brits have left their windows open while they’re out of the house, and 41.8% leave their front or back door unlocked when they leave their property. The survey also found that 30% of people leave their keys inside the door lock, making them vulnerable to thieves attempting to ‘fish’ their keys through your letterbox using a hooked device. Over a quarter (27.85%) of people have left their keys on the outside of the door lock after leaving home, while one in eight (12%) have left their pet flap open. Yet despite that slack approach to security, apparently over 42% of survey respondents reported feeling unsafe at home!
So nearly the same number of people who feel unsafe at home leave their doors unlocked and even more don’t close windows while just over 30% of homeowners have no security installed at all. In the future this figure will probably change as many new builds will feature security kit as standard, especially in multioccupancy buildings, but there must be a reason for such a mixed opinion on security for existing homeowners.
Perhaps this confusion is why people get in touch only AFTER a burglary has taken place - until then it’s not on their radar.
