Safer homes, Smarter homes ( Phuket Local News )
Muggings, burglaries and daylight snatchings are on the rise. With growing prosperity has come the price, a steady rise in Phuket's crime rate. While it might not be time for panic yet, the signs are ever-mounting, and safety on Phuket is a hotly debated subject on the island just now.While the police force itself has been lauded for doing a great job with the limited resources it has, talk has been rife about how Phuket needs infrastructure, in all departments, that actually reflects the number of people who live here at any given time. While safety on the streets depends on a number of factors, safety at home, or in the workplace is far more personal, and one in which we can generally exercise much more influence. So how much impetus, especially in the recent scheme of things, need we be giving this crucial consideration? What can we do to make our homes safer... and have we been implementing these measures...and perhaps very pertinently; what do they cost?The Phuket Post spoke to Mr Elliot Klein, Senior Resident Consultant with the Maximum Security Division of Saen Yim Co. Ltd, who has some bleak observations about the safety situation in Phuket and Thailand as a whole.“This is a growing problem not only in Thailand but all across the Asian market. I have personally visited dozens of facilities, none of which had adequate security to prevent thieves, attackers or terrorists from having free access,” revealed Mr Klein. “The consequences of continued inaction will be the rapid growth of bravado and audacity of criminals, as their actions go unfettered and their targets become richer. Eventually we will get a situation like New York City of thirty years ago, when criminals ruled the streets and people were afraid even in their homes.“Using other locations around the world, we can easily predict the trend in crime as it has happened almost universally. It goes like this: first there is street crime, like purse snatching, theft from cars, muggings, etc. As criminals get away with these crimes, they are emboldened and gain confidence.“That's when burglaries occur, and criminals realize how much more there is to be gained from homes than from people walking around. Then the worst happens, home invasions. This trend, that is obvious to everyone but being ignored by every almost villa and condo developer and builder, will cost all of us in the long run,” warns Mr Klein. “They still prefer to believe that fancy kitchens and nice landscaping are more important than real security arrangements, even though evidence to the contrary is readily available.“This tragic environment is avoidable if developers, builders, agents and property managers take action now to enhance their security arrangements so that criminality becomes extremely difficult and unprofitable,” he continued. The upside, Mr Klein says, is that excellent security can be a powerful marketing tool for the builders and developers since potential buyers are actively looking for homes that offer advanced security equipment, personnel and techniques. “According to the latest research commissioned by the Homebuyer Show at ExCeL (UK), almost three-quarters (72 %) of home buyers believe good security is an essential factor in their decision to buy a property.”The greatest security threat to homes in Phuket right now, Mr Klein told the Phuket Post, is apathy. “Ignoring the truth and thinking, 'it won't happen to me'.”“Very few homes have any security at all,” Mr Klein observes. “Those that do have minimal measures, and the home-owner then believes himself to be safe, leading to carelessness. For instance, I recommend every home have an alarm system with sensors on all doors and windows. But this should be considered one element in a complete security program, not the only necessity.”So what would he recommend, be the minimum level of security a home should have, and is it available on Phuket? “A real locking gate, motion sensor lights around the perimeter of the property and on the house, solid wood outside doors with hinges on the inside, double key deadbolt locks on all outside doors, 7cm steel screws in all outside doors hinges, strikeplates on all outside doors, locks on all windows, smoke and fire alarms in all rooms, fire extinguishers in every room, smoke hoods in every room.” Mr Klein listed. “These are all available at HomePro, Home Works (except maybe smoke hoods) at minimal costs.“I would recommend the same measures for homes with children as for homes without. This requires a complete security program, not stop-gap measures giving a false sense of security leaving the home-owner vulnerable. To have the kind of elite security for a home and family, that only the Impossible Mission Force or Ocean's 12 can penetrate, I would advise any home-owner to spend at least what they spend on vehicles, and as much in monthly fees as they spend on alcohol, tobacco and dining out,” he said emphatically.For more information, contact Elliot Klein, Senior Resident Consultant, Maximum Security Division, Saen Yim Co. Ltd Tel: +66 76 249-310
