Commercial buildings left vacant at night are attractive targets for criminals. They are vulnerable during working hours too, particularly if there are unprotected windows and doors in quieter parts of the building. Fixed security gates on windows add an extra layer of protection to stop this from happening.
Why the need for fixed security or burglar bars on windows?
Alarms and surveillance cameras alone are not always sufficient to keep criminals out of commercial buildings. An experienced team of criminals knows exactly how long they have to get into and out of a building before the armed response or police services arrive. They can be in and out with their loot well before this happens.
The most effective way of preventing a break-in is to have physical obstacles between the criminals and the premises they want to get into. This adds an additional level of protection that blocks their way.
Strong security barriers on every door and window require a lot of time, effort, and the right tools to break through. Trying to damage them puts the criminals at risk of discovery before they achieve their objective, so these barriers are a real deterrent to theft.
Types of security gates
Security gate designs vary according to their function and level of strength under attack. They can either be:
- Retractable or sliding security gates, which can be fitted to doors and windows.
- Or fixed security gates that are fitted to windows only and do not open.
The most commonly sold security gates in South Africa are the trellis-style security gate designs. These are manufactured in both the retractable and fixed format so that companies can have matching security on all openings.
Trellidor manufactures a galvanised steel trellis-style fixed security gate that is ideal for protecting commercial buildings. It is fully framed on all four sides with the four corners interconnected. This means that the burglar bar is not dependent on the fixings only for resistance when an intruder is trying to lever it out.
How is the fixed security gate fitted to commercial buildings?
The way the fixed security gate is fitted to a window in a commercial building has a huge impact on how effective it is as an anti-theft barrier.
Fully framed burglar bar designs resist attack better than semi-framed or unframed burglar bars. They can be fitted into the window reveal and attached to substrates including brick, concrete, stone, structural steel, and structural timber. Alternatively, they can be fitted face-on if there is no reveal or if it is too narrow.
Fixed security gates can be fitted internally or externally. The most secure installation is an internal one because this creates extra hurdles for robbers to overcome, increasing the difficulty of a successful break-in.
First they must break through the window. Then they have to try to break through the security gate. This is a frustrating process. It takes time, creates noise and is therefore an excellent deterrent.
Every component that makes up a fixed security barrier including security gate screws must add to its ability to resist an attack by an intruder.
Trellidor fixed security gates for commercial buildings:
- Use unique screws that can only be fitted or removed with a custom-made drive socket to help reduce the risk of break-ins.
- These security gate screws are also longer than usual to provide extra pull-out resistance. This increased tamper resistance helps to minimise break-ins at commercial buildings.
- Have a sash made up of the upright bars, the links that cross over these bars, and the rivets that join them all together.
- They are strengthened using double uprights (front and back) with links that cross over and connect three upright bars (competitors usually join only two uprights together).
What type of commercial building can be secured with fixed security gates?
Custom-made, strong, fixed security gates have been installed by Trellidor to protect windows in:
- Foreign embassy staff homes all over Africa and in South Africa.
- Offices in industrial parks.
- Large and small manufacturing plants.
- Retail outlets, especially at the back of the premises where it is often quieter and vulnerable to a surprise break-in.
- Staff bathrooms, which could otherwise be an escape route for robbers.
- Storage facilities.
- Commercial buildings with large windows that could be broken by thrown bricks during riots and other forms of public violence.
Find out more about fixed security gates for commercial buildings
