One of the most important decisions you’ll make when choosing a home security system is selecting the best security door for your home. However, without security expertise, it can be difficult to decide which one is best for you and your family.
In this article, we will help you decide which safe room door is best for your home and give you some tips on how to choose the perfect one for your needs.
The Security Triangle
The Security Triangle is the strategy we use to determine the requirements of a safe area. If the 3 layers of security mentioned below work together, it should give you the best chance of preventing an attacker from forcing entry into your home whilst keeping you, your loved ones, and valuables safe.
- Detection: Electronic Security such as CCTV & Alarms Systems
- Response Time: Police authorities, Private Security
- Protection: Physical Security such as doors, windows, and walling
For example. If you live next door to the police, often there is no point in building a bulletproof retreat room. Conversely, if the police response time in your area is an hour, a security door that will fail after 15 minutes would not be of much use in keeping you safe.
Safe Room Rules
- You must reach the safe room before the intruder reaches you.
- The safe area must be able to protect you for long enough until the police arrive or close protection officers handle the threat.
Rule 1 – Can you reach safety before the attacker reaches you?
Take a look at the above images. Why would Property A benefit more than Property B by including security cameras and alarms in their overall security solutions?
Property A
Due to the distance from the perimeter of the property to the access points being a fair distance, Property A would benefit more from investing in a good CCTV & alarm system as this will alert the homeowners once the intruder steps onto the property grounds. The alert should give the homeowners enough time to reach the safe area before the intruder reaches them.
Property B
Whereas a London Townhouse or similar, would benefit more from physical security measures, such as security doors and windows to delay access to the property. This will give enough time for potential victims to get to their safe area. If there was a camera and alarm system on this property, it’s likely an intruder will have already accessed the home by the time the homeowner was alerted, without giving enough time to get away.
CCTV and alarm systems detect intruders and aid in the solving of the crime. However, in our experience, they do not physically stop an intruder from entering a property. So you need both, a good CCTV & alarm system to detect & hopefully deter criminals and a strong door to physically protect.
Rule 2 – Will you be safe for long enough?
The security level you need will depend on the results of your risk assessment and the response time of either the police or the security team you have in place.
A safe room door that has accreditation will indicate how long it can withstand a specific attack. We have listed the security categories and attack resistance times below. We have also given examples of how we use this to determine the security level required.
Example 1
A family lives in a well-built-up affluent area in a nice property, 10 minutes from the police station. The family has no known grievances against them, but a neighbour has recently been broken into.
What level of security door would they need?
In this case, if you guessed level 2 then you were correct. A level 2 burglar resistance door is accredited for 15 minutes but can withstand an attack for much longer. So if there is an attempted burglary, the family will remain safe behind their strong door long enough until the police arrive.
Example 2
This family lives in Chelsea, Central London and they own a few art collections and luxury cars. The family also has had past protection concerns, so they now have live-in executive protection officers.
What level of security door would they need?
In this situation, based on the value of the items and the location of the residents, we would recommend installing a Level 4 burglar resistance door. Potential attackers are more likely to be sophisticated and will have already scoped out the property beforehand so they can prepare to bring advanced tools & weapons to force entry.
A security door would give the on-site security team more time to think, react and diffuse a threat, knowing their clients are safe behind a security door in their fortified space.
In conclusion, choosing the right physical security for your home is essential in ensuring your safety and peace of mind. By consulting with a security expert, you can make an informed decision and be confident that your security doors and windows are tailored to your specific needs, blending into your daily family life.
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