In the last episode of this “serial blog”, again with the aim of seeking the correct answer to the question stated in the title, we reached the conclusion that unfortunately there are many low-cost products on the market (often imported from the Far East) which do not offer any real reduction in the risk of theft. Today we will see, on the other hand, what considerations must be made before choosing the right protection according to the actual needs.

In order to force products such as those shown in the video clips seen in the previous article, there is no need for specific preparation, or special tools, or time. This means that the number of thieves who are able to carry out a theft like this is potentially equal to the number of criminals who come into contact with valuables which are so poorly protected. This is where we return to the comparison made in the first blog of this series, with the search for a person responsible for checking the public entering into a circus, an activity for which the number of possible candidates would be high.

The real security, on the other hand, is achieved with materials and technologies that increasingly complicate (in a manner directly proportional to the increase in value of the systems used) the efforts required by criminals, progressively reducing the number who are able to overcome the protection systems put in place – until you get to security systems which need several well-prepared thieves with a great deal of time available, which is a fairly limited number of potential individuals, as is the case with the circus trapeze artists in our original example.

Achieving a protection that can only be overcome under these conditions is the best objective which can be pursued, because, although it is true that sometimes thefts or robberies occur (for example, security vans or bank vaults) which are carried out by numerous and well organised groups, it is also true that they are quite rare (as shown by the fact that it is often chosen as the as subject for spectacular films) and they generally focus only on extremely high-value objectives.
The identification of how much to invest in the protection of one’s own valuables passes through a prior analysis of the context in which what must be protected is situated.
When you buy and/or receive an item of value (whether it is a bicycle, your home, an office, a shop or a garage) you must immediately ask yourself at least the following questions:

• What is it worth and how desirable is it to thieves?
• How risky is the environment in which it is located?
• Is it an isolated or busy location?
• Is rapid intervention by law enforcement agencies possible?
• How many potential accesses are there to reach what must be protected?
• Can the object to be protected be easily taken away or not?
• How many people can have knowledge of the security systems currently used in the location?

Once you have answered these questions, perhaps with the help of a security expert, it will be possible to choose if and how to upgrade the existing protection systems, according to the specific context.
A rough indication, so as to identify how much to spend in terms of security, is that generally an asset, in order to be sufficiently protected, needs an investment of between 5% and 10% of its value.
So, just like a 300 Euro bike must be protected with a security device worth between 15 and 30 Euros (and not with the ultra-light cable which is often given away free when you buy a bike!), a house worth about 200,000 Euros, if we consider the protection with locks and security gates for all the doors and windows accessible from the outside and a valid anti-theft system, requires an investment of at least 10,000 Euros.

>> Read this article to learn more about the right proportion for buying effective security products!

We must therefore be wary of low-cost proposals for armoured doors, gates, locks, safes and alarms because, at best, these are “service” items, which can be used in very low risk situations, and at worst you would find yourself with pseudo-protection system, like those in the two videos shown in the last blog.

When we think about security, we must be careful not to fall into the error of considering as more important something that might happen, rather than the frequency with which it actually happens.

The fact that there are particular conditions in which any protection system can be bypassed does not mean that one must overlook the inversely proportional relationship between the degree of security used and the probability of violations occurring. By committing this error, we would risk reaching the paradoxical conclusion that it would not even be worthwhile closing the door: “In any case, if they want to steal…”
In fact, the better one protects oneself, the less chance there is of one being a victim of a theft; just think, for example, how many bikes locked up with a simple cable are stolen from the racks near railway stations, compared with how many are stolen when they are secured to a wall with a sturdy chain and padlock, inside a garage closed with good quality locks and equipped with alarms.
The answer to the question in the title of our blog is therefore twofold: true, in very particular conditions; false in everyday reality! But, for it to be false, awareness is needed in the selection and installation of security products. What Club Sicurezza Viro proposes is just trying to convey information that make users more aware.

<< Back to the 1st part! (Discover the factors that make any defense vain)

<< Back to the 2nd part! (Check out the countermeasures to prevent theft)