During 2018, SGS Systems Ltd were approached by Lapley, Stretton & Wheaton Aston Parish council to install and maintain CCTV technology security on Marston Field in Wheaton Aston.  Prior to this, other options had been considered and a variety of interventions had been made to try to discourage increasing levels of anti-social behaviour within the area, yet all options produced little success.

As a result of multi-agency working, SGS Systems Ltd were privileged to provide CCTV technology monitoring equipment which will see the protection of the community area increased, by the installation of 2 self-monitoring cameras, utilising CSL dual com and a 4G router.  Whilst, the time and date is visible on every frame to make the recording admissible as evidence.

Many aspects have to be considered when under-taking such a project which often involves the police, local authorities, families and residents, voluntary organisations through to environmental associates.  There is also specific legislation which communities are required by law to adhere too.

If you install a CCTV camera overlooking a public place, such as a walkway that runs behind a terrace of houses or the road at the end of a cul-de-sac, the images you capture are subject to the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). The Act gives everyone the right to see information you captured about them, such as images of them or their car number plate. It also sets strict rules that CCTV operators must follow when they gather, store, and release CCTV images of individuals. – according to the Neighboorhood Watch Website – https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/crimes-archive/cctv/

To find out more about how we could help your community area, community centre, recreation ground or park space, please contact our property security sales team at SGS Systems Ltd.  Through a confidential review of the community area and working closely with individual community groups, SGS Systems Ltd are on hand to suggest a security solution to suit your budget and meet the protection needs of the community.

Blogs used to write this article:

• https://www.ourwatch.org.uk/crimes-archive/cctv/

It’s getting chilly out there! With the temperature gradually falling as we move into the winter season, the appeal to heat up our cars and defrost our windscreens whilst leaving the engine running or leave the keys in the ignition whilst we nip back into the house is tempting.

In 2018, Birmingham Live editorial highlighted the effects of ‘car brands most commonly carjacked in the West Midlands’ and the growing popularity of ‘car chopping’ through organised crime gangs who involved children as young as 15 years old to steal cars.

Ford Cars and Vans were the most popular models stolen, whilst Land Rover, Vauxhall, BMW, Audi and Hondas also demonstrated as desirable brands.  In many cases the cars are broken down and sold for parts through the likes of eBay, Gumtree, Autotrader and other selling sites by making criminals millions of pounds through ‘chopping up’.

In arecent article by the UK Metropolitain Police, they offer useful advice at: https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/theft-of-a-vehicle/vehicle-attracting-thieves/ and highlight the fact that it is “actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather.” “If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.”

Methods to improve your vehicle security

The answer is don’t make it easy for the opportunists! Here at SGS Systems Ltd, we help to protect vehicles with a number of vehicle security solutions and as a result can reduce the occurrence of a theft incident through the installation of our vehicle security protection package:

Security Lighting – Operating on sensors from dusk until dawn, our external security lighting can be powered by energy efficient LED Units that will illuminate the area of a domestic drive up to the size of a carpark.  Effective security lighting will work successfully on many levels, from deterring un-wanted intruders who don’t want to be seen to illuminating footage captured by CCTV camera security.

CCTV Security – Our 24/7 security monitoring equipment is supplied and installed to the highest standards with time and dates visible on every frame to make the recording admissible as evidence.  Our CCTV security systems are configured to meet your budget, premises size and level of risk.

Garage Security – Locking your vehicle in a garage / enclosed area is probably the most secure method in protecting your vehicle. Here at SGS Systems Ltd, we provide garage security as part of an extension to your house alarm to include alarm installation through inferred wired and wireless options.

To find out more about vehicle security and protecting your vehicle whilst stationery at your property please speak to our security sale team or see our home security and garage security website pages for further details.

Blogs relating to this article:

• https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/revealed-car-brands-most-commonly-15431590

In 2017 rural crime had a greater impact on yard security when rates rose by 13.4% and cost the UK £44.5m according to a report by the NFU. In addition the cost of agricultural vehicle and quad bike theft totaled £8.1m.

Often farms and equestrian stables are seen as easy targets to thieves. In rural areas where close communities keep an eye out for one another, there is often the mindset that perhaps yard security can be a little more relaxed. Historically crime has always been more associated with towns and cities however sadly, nowadays these statistics are beginning to demonstrate otherwise!

It is also worth highlighting that unwanted intruders don’t always live in the village or surrounding area and can sometimes travel miles to make an attempt of theft. Operating in a networked gang, they know the agricultural industry well and how to move the commercial equipment quickly; sometimes even with a plan to ship abroad where the machinery or livestock can be sold for a lot of money and without little trace.

How SGS Systems Ltd can help with yard security

As dedicated security partners to the NFU, SGS Systems Ltd are here to support farm and stable commercial agriculture businesses across the UK with yard security. Protecting livestock, tack, feed, equipment and machinery, our yard security package can include any, or all of the following:

• premises alarms and controlled door entry systems
• tack room security
• external and internal CCTV security
• motion detection security
• sensor lighting and fire alarms

To find out how we can help you further in securing your farm or stables property and to benefit from discounted yard security service rates if you are an NFU member, please contact our commercial security team or see our stable security page on our website – https://www.sgssystems.com/stable-cctv-security/

With Autumn here, October is the month where we begin to see the daylight hours rapidly reduce and this weekend, on Sunday 27^th October, the UK clock change will also take place.  This is when ‘Daylight Saving Time’ ends and the clocks turn back 1 hour so that we may gain an extra hour of daylight in the mornings; this marks an important time in the autumn home security calendar and so assessing if your home is secure enough for the winter is imperative.

Investing in just a few simple autumn home security features

For workers, leaving home and arriving back in the dark will soon become a daily occurrence. Investing in just a few simple autumn home security features will go a long way to protect your property and your family.

Indoor lighting – Lights on timers are a great, not only do they make your home feel a little more welcoming when you arrive home to in the dark, but they also give the appearance that someone is in the house and deter intruders from thinking the house is vacant.

External lighting – Sensor lighting will illuminate the external area of the premises when any one approaches your property. This will not only draw your attention to the outside if you are in the house but again it could also deter anyone who is thinking of gaining entry.

House alarm – A house alarm can easily installed in your home by SGS Systems Ltd to protect the whole property and / or specific areas. All of our SGS Systems Ltd house alarms are installed by certified fitters and are annually serviced to ensure that they operate in excellent condition.

CCTV Security – Installed both internally and externally, our 24/7 monitoring camera equipment will produce clear imagery both day and night. Again, cameras can not only deter criminals but should they try to gain entry, then the footage could be used as legal evidence.

For a confidential review of your property or to find out more about how our autumn home security programme could benefit your home and family so that you may stay safe this season, please contact our SGS Systems Ltd security team or see our website home security information for further details.

Back to school this month means back to routine and whilst the decent weather and lighter evenings stay with us for just a little longer, what better way than to invest some time into your property and autumn security checks over this coming month, to ensure that it is secure before the winter.

Summer can be a busy season!  Enjoying time with the kids, favourite hobbies, spending time outdoors, going on holiday and working out in the garden – whatever your preference, if your garage, outbuilding or shed is maybe looking a little chaotic, if it is bursting at the seams with gadgets and you can hardly lock the door then it is time to get organised!

SGS Systems Ltd are sharing some ideas on how to improve you autumn security checks of your garage / outbuilding / shed, this month :

1. Have a clear out – The weather is still reasonable so emptying the entire contents and organising the space with some decent storage is a great way to be efficient. Invest in storage and covers which will not only protect from the weather but will also help to put more expensive items out of view from prying eyes.
2. Repair door locks – Padlocks and door locks can begin to tire with the wet weather and become more susceptible to the outdoor elements, it is worth repairing or replacing to ensure that doors lock securely.
3. Repair buildings and roofs – Damaged areas of a building or roof can provide an easy point of access for unwanted intruders to gain entry. They can also become problem areas for leaks and mean that bad weather can damage your possessions so it is worth making the repairs whilst the weather is fine.
4. Install a domestic alarm – Installing an alarm to your garage, shed or outbuilding will not only give you peace of mind that your possessions are safe but will also alert you should an unwanted intruder try to break into your property. Here at SGS Systems we supply, install and maintain a wide range of home security alarms to suit the size of your property and your needs.
5. Install CCTV to the external space of your property – By monitoring your garage, shed or outbuilding from the comfort and safety of your own home will mean that you won’t have to investigate the outdoor premises on the darker evenings.
6. Invest in outdoor security lighting – External sensor lighting not only draws attention to areas which would otherwise be in darkness but can also help to deter intruders from making any further attempts to scour your property.
7. Clear the external space – Pack away ladders, bins and outdoor equipment which can provide climbing tools for intruders to gain entry quickly. Clear away and tidy, hedgerows and bushes which can obstruct your view of your garage, shed or outbuilding.

For further information on how to secure your property and carry out your autumn security checks, or to speak to one of our security advisors about a confidential review of your property please contact us at SGS Systems Ltd.  As an SSAIB supplier and installer of security equipment, we provide scale-able security solutions to homeowners across the West Midlands and the UK.

Operating a business can raise all kinds of challenges for temporary alarm security, especially when moving premises or facilitating your daily work schedule from within a temporary commercial building.  If you own a building that requires temporary alarm security protection whilst it is empty, if your business is operating from a porta-cabin or if you require the support of temporary alarm security where the existing alarm has failed, then here at SGS Systems Ltd we provide an ‘off the shelf’ security solution to suit any of these kind of scenarios and one which will quickly secure a building by protecting stock and equipment and meet insurance requirements.

Our enforcer panels and wireless alarm systems are manufactured by Pyronix and only take approximately 4 hours to install, which is a quicker setup process than a standard wireless alarm.  Our Pyronix security system provides an excellent form of portability and can move from site to site depending on your work operations which will allow managed services to get up and running quickly.  Conforming to European Standards Accredited with EN50131 approved for any Grade 2 class environment, the device supports up to 64 wireless inputs, 4 arming stations, 32 key fobs and 2 wireless sirens.

Temporary alarm security is ideal for residential or small commercial applications, the Enforcer control panel is perfectly suited to:

• domestic / residential,
• retail
• office
• education
• construction

Using any form of communication such as a wifi or telephone connection, the Pyronix security system can detect an intruder before they attempt to break in.  If an intruder enters the perimeter of a property, the outdoor XD detector, programmed as a switcher zone, will recognise this and immediately signal to the Enforcer control panel.

detect > communicate > verify > alert

In addition, the Enforcer control panel can signal to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC) for professionally monitored 24/7 security and can be controlled and monitored remotely by appointed users with the easy-to-use ProControl+ smartphone app which allows them to set, unset and receive voice push notifications.

For further temporary alarm security information and installation enquires of the Pyronix security system or if you would like to discuss any other security options including CCTV security which could suit your temporary commercial premises then please do not hesitate to contact our commercial security installations team at SGS Systems Ltd for a confidential property security review of your organisation.

• Further information about PYRONIX can be found at: https://www.pyronix.com/

The holiday season can raise a number of challenges in terms of holiday commercial security for UK companies as they juggle working hours to meet orders and cover holiday time away from their business.

Booked calendar holidays may mean that companies have to adjust their working hours to accommodate changes to their regular timetable by utilising less staff to cover more job roles or appointing staff members to take on greater responsibility.  This may also mean employing new and seasonal staff to take on work which as a Directors, means understanding their employees strengths and weaknesses and building trusting relationships.

Finally for some businesses, the holiday season may also mean closing the business altogether for a number of days or weeks, especially if during the month of August it is quieter within their industry in terms of production.

Whatever your business challenge, relying on holiday commercial security to protect your company can offer a life line to its longevity.  Implementing holiday commercial security can protect commercial building premises, look after company stock and monitor staff.  It also provides protection to customers and the general public when visiting your premises, store or warehouse.

Here at SGS Systems Ltd, we offer a range of holiday commercial security support services to UK companies.

Through our experienced team of security engineers we support businesses from single outfits to multi-site and established branded companies by installing a security system which will suit the individual business and premises.  We work closely with business owners to identify risks and provide a property security service to suit, from a single alarm option to far more complex alarm systems or access control security to protect specific zones of a commercial building.  Our property surveillance offers 24/7 CCTV monitoring equipment to both internal and external areas of the property and our most proficient smoke security systems are used in stores which offer high value goods or vast quantities of stock.

To find out more about our commercial security systems available to protect commercial businesses, please see our commercial security website page or speak to one of our dedicated security representatives about a confidential review of your requirements.

Useful Information:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protecting-your-businesss-assets

With the summer season and school / college holidays in full motion, many couples, families and friends across the UK will be preparing for a well earned holiday in the UK or to travel abroad.   In light of this, this August here at SGS Systems Ltd we are particularly focusing on social media security and the concerns it may raise in terms of security and the protection of your property whilst you are on holiday.

Whether you are an avid user of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snap Chat, to many UK users, Social Media is very much an ingrained part of our lives.  We all enjoy sharing pictures and stories with friends about who we are hanging out with, where we are staying and visiting, or maybe showing off a latest purchase.

However, whilst many would think that there is no harm in sharing information, it is unfortunate that some thieves make a living out of researching these types of posts by scouring our internet for profiles to find clues which could be fruitful in aiding a burglary.  This means that it is important to understand social media security and that whilst sharing your latest holiday snaps, photos like these can confirm that you are not at your home and so therefore your property is vacant.  This could prove to provide enough information and a tempting opportunity to those who are seeking to carry out a burglary.

So what is the safest way to use social media this without compromising our social media security?

1. Don’t share the recognisable flight path image from home to your holiday destination. Immediately this informs everyone that you are off on your holidays.
2. Enjoy taking your holiday snaps but share them when you arrive back home, rather than whilst you are on holiday.
3. Sharing photos can help to build a profile as to where you live. Photos which feature your house door number, street sign or your vehicle number plate could implicate your social media security.
4. Don’t share photos of expensive jewellery, your new car or your latest TV purchase which could easily build up a profile as to what you own in the property and become a focus target for a burglary.
5. Finally, check your social media security settings and that you are only sharing photos and information with friends.
6. Inform a neighbor that you are going on holiday and ask them to keep an eye on your property whilst you are on holiday.
7. Install a home security alarm and CCTV monitoring equipment with SGS Systems Ltd. Our company provides a full security review and installation service, followed by regular security support and maintenance after-sales checks so that you can be certain that your property is continually monitored and kept safe.  As an SSAIB accredited supplier, we only use industry specialist equipment which is installed by our fully trained security engineers.

   Our scale-able home security solution means that we can protect your home large or small.  For more information with regards to our property security products and services, please speak to our home security team about a FREE review of your property or see our range of security options available on our website – sgssystems.com.

Don’t forget! If you have become the owner of a new property which has an existing alarm or no longer have the contact details for the maintenance contract of your installed burglar alarm, then SGS Systems Ltd can help.  We not only install and maintain our own security systems but can also review and check your house burglar alarm, even if it has been originally installed by a different provider.  To find out more, please contact our property security team today.

Useful information:

StaySafeOnline – https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/securing-key-accounts-devices/social-media/

However, it is worth considering that you cannot always be certain that those individuals are who have gained access into the property, have made a legitimate entry neither that others living in the building, have the same respect for residence and their property as you do.

Just because you live in a gated community, does not mean that your property is completely safe and that you are immune from becoming the victim of a burglary.  When living in a gated community, most multi-occupancy properties will have access-control security and intercom systems installed directly on the main access points in and out of the building and whilst criminal activity is some-what reduced and the annoyance of doorstep pests such as salesmen and cold-callers is reduced.  Home security to individual properties is not always a priority within a gated community because owners presume that they are protected.

In a website article by the Metropolitan Police – How Safe is your flat.  They offer a range of possibilities to keep your flat safe from ensuring that lighting is fully functional to accessing post via internal post boxes and re-iterate how important it is to keep communal doors closed and automatically locked whilst under no circumstances allowing stranger’s entrance.

If you lived in a gated community, you are obliged to secure your property

You have an obligation to ensure that yourself and your property is safe and secure at all times and so you may underestimate the fact that you are well within your contractual rights to install your own intruder alarm and 24/7 CCTV monitoring equipment to protect your own property within a multi-occupancy complex or building.

For more information on gated community and flat security installations or multi-occupancy security installations please contact our security team at SGS Systems Ltd.  Our experienced and qualified engineers will liaise with the multi-occupancy property manager on your behalf to install and maintain a security system which will suit your property whilst complying with regulation.  Further to this we test and maintain your security equipment on an annual basis to ensure the longevity and security of your property is consistent.

Blogs used to write this article:

• https://www.hertsad.co.uk/property/behind-closed-gates-does-living-in-a-gated-community-make-a-difference-1-4244637

• https://www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/residential-burglary/how-safe-is-your-flat/

Holiday season is here! And with the warmer weather and the anticipation of schools and colleges breaking up for the summer term, making those holiday plans in July is always an exciting time of year.

Before you go away on your adventures it is worth making some plans for the security of your home, whilst you are away from the property.  After all there is nothing more disheartening and demoralizing, than coming home from a really happy holiday to find out that whilst you were away, that your home was broken into and your most valuable possessions were stolen because your property was not protected.

Here at SGS System’s Ltd we have come up with a security top tip list to put your home on the right track and ensure that you have the best time on holiday, relaxing with the knowledge that your property is protected.

Security Top Tip List for keeping your home protected

1. Cancel your regular deliveries for milk, newspapers etc.
2. Let a neighbor know and ask if they can collect your post so that there isn’t a mountain of un-opened post visible.
3. Invest in some timer switches for lights and curtains. This will give the appearance that people are in and using the property.
4. If you are taking your car, then ask a neighbor to park on your drive from time to time.
5. Put away ladders and any other objects such a wheelie bins which could be used to climb on and gain access upstairs
6. If you have an intruder alarm – check that the current key holder’s details are up to date and that the security alarm is fully maintained. If not please contact SGS Systems Ltd, we are accredited to test and maintain all alarm security system including brands other than our own.
7. If you do not have an intruder alarm – it is worth considering an installation to protect your property.  SGS System’s Ltd will offer a confidential review of your property to offer the very best and most suitable security options from intruder alarms to CCTV. Please contact our property security team for a home security review.
8. Finally, before you go on your holiday make sure that you lock all your doors and windows, room by room. Don’t forget garages, sheds and outbuildings too.

Happy Holidays, the team at SGS Systems Ltd hope that you have a lovely time this summer!

• https://www.churchill.com/home-insurance/tips/home-security-holiday