Burglar bars for windows are a very simple solution to a common problem in South Africa: home invaders intent on stealing your possessions. Burglar bars on doors and windows can frustrate criminals trying to find a way into your home and force them to give up. Let’s look at how burglar bars can help you outsmart home invaders.
Burglar bars block off easy entry
All unprotected openings in a home offer easy access for criminals. A door left open for pets to come and go, or a window opened wide for fresh air are perfect opportunities for home invaders to enter a home. The window may be tiny, high up, and hidden. Or large and exposed to anyone out on the street. They will find a way to use it.
Burglar bars help to keep home invaders out of your personal space. When you’re at home, you can’t watch every window, even if you have grown used to constantly checking your surroundings for threats. And when you’re away from your home, it will be the robbers that are watching every window to see where they can break in easily.
If you know that all your windows and doors are protected with burglar bars, then you can relax and enjoy yourself when home. When you’re out, you’ll know that you’ve made it difficult for robbers to get inside.
An important point to remember is to keep your burglar bars closed and locked, with keys removed. Barriers that are closed but not locked are useless if criminals are able to make it through your property and right up to the house. They may check all the barriers to find any weak ones to break through. Imagine their delight on finding one that isn’t locked. It would save them much time and effort.
Strong burglar bars take too long to break through
There are many window burglar bar designs on the market. However, they are not all strong enough to resist an attack by home invaders. Weak, badly fitting burglar bars are quickly forced away from window frames, opening up enough space for someone to slip through.
Strong, well-made, and professionally fitted burglar bars resist criminal attacks for much longer. The time it takes and the noise it makes forces home invaders to risk being caught in the act. This is a situation they generally prefer to avoid, so a fully burglar-proofed home becomes less of a target than one without burglar bars.
The price of good quality burglar bars will no doubt be higher than cheaper designs. But can you put a price on what you would lose if the criminals actually managed to break into your home? This is a tough decision when budgets are tight. However, anyone that has experienced a traumatic, violent home invasion would say ‘yes’ to the strongest burglar bars they can afford to outsmart home invaders.
Burglar bars provide ‘always on’ protection
Most security experts recommend that you have several different types of security system in your home to keep safe there. Each type has its purpose and if you can afford all these layers, you have all-round protection from criminals.
Burglar alarms, motion sensor beams and lights that sense movement are your early warning system. The problem is that when we’re home, we usually deactivate these systems. This leaves us vulnerable to criminals that know about this habit and take advantage of it. So how do you outsmart home invaders in this situation?
The answer is burglar proofing on doors and windows. These security barriers don’t need to be activated or deactivated. They don’t require electricity or battery backup to operate. They are simply ‘always on’ and permanently working to protect your home and family. As mentioned earlier, if you have lockable barriers, remember to keep them locked so that criminals stay on the other side.
Trellidor burglar bars tips
Trellidor security barriers are often the first choice for South Africans looking for protection at home. This is because their quality has been well-established over the decades that the company has been in business. Here are some ideas from their burglar bar range to outsmart home invaders:
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- Good views a priority? Choose woven stainless steel mesh screens in an aluminium frame. The metal mesh is very difficult to break through and the frame adds stability and strength. The screen is see-through, so you don’t lose the view through the windows.
- Live in a high crime risk area? Choose one of the internationally certified trellis-style designs. These can be made for windows and doors, in either a fixed or sliding format. All models are strong under attack, but the certified ones even more so. Another option is Cottage Guard burglar bars for windows. It is incredibly strong under attack.
- Away from home often? Roller shutters may be the answer to outsmarting intruders. Once closed, roller shutters are extremely hard to breach. Use them on windows and doors throughout the home and lock it down fully when you leave.
- Part of a secured, gated community? Monkey and baboon home invaders may be a bigger problem than human ones, so look at framed polycarbonate bars. They are neat, quick, and easy to fit, and provide more than adequate protection.
- Too many windows for your budget? Choose a selection of burglar bars at different price points. Strong trellis-style barriers on vulnerable windows and doors and a design from the Burglar Guard range on less accessible ones will spread the cost.
- Stylish design important to you? Select louvre shutters with built-in security features. Purpose-made louvre shutters combine beautiful design with internal strengthening to outsmart home invaders.
- Ever considered an emergency escape route? Trellidor make several burglar bar designs that can be used as an emergency escape route. The advice is to install burglar bars that can open on at least one window in your safe zone (usually the bedroom area) to use in these situations. Products to consider include sliding trellis-style gates for windows, security screens, and louvre shutters.
No matter what salespeople may tell you, no barrier is completely impenetrable. If home invaders have enough time, the right tools, and no fear of discovery, they may well find a way into a home. However, the right type of burglar bars on windows and doors can be a huge deterrent to criminals. And an enormous relief to those living inside the home when they outsmart home invaders.
