home security

Hi, I hope you are OK and I was surprised that no one was able to offer advice to your previous post.
I don't know what may be available to you but if you can look up Cheshire Police I am sure they will be able to advise on what to do here (as in UK) and then you could take some of those ideas and put them into practise on Malta.
Also a lot would depend upon how much you were willing to pay e.g movement detectors, recorders, internet linked security etc.
However, one simple and cheaper way to be to fit window locks.

i suspect the problem here is we dont know anyone, I would love to be able to help advise etc but i dont know anyone in that field to be honest....and the ones i do know that are in similar fields I wouldnt recommend..... we do seem to be in a rip off minefield when these things happen...hopefully it wont happen again....sorry i cant help --- hope you get it sorted soon.  good luck

Thanks Redmik. I'm ok..but finding it difficult to sleep at night... every sound alerts you.
Have to say I too am surprised that no one has responded. Usually the folk on here are generally very helpful.
We already have window locks and whoever broke in tried to force the patio door and couldn't. The only window without a lock was the bathroom. they managed to force that one open then met with a locked door to the rest of the apartment. The wood on the door is splintered and somehow they managed to get that door open.
The lock was still in the locked position when I arrived. The insurance assessor will be here this morning so hoping he can proffer some advice and tell me of any companies who can make things more secure.

Thanks Toon... yes it is a problem to find someone without being ripped off. Most people we have had to do anything have actually been very good and been reasonable in price but the guy who changed the lock seems to have cashed in.

Hi,

Not sure if this would help but I have a wirless IP camera setup in my man-shed which is activated on movement and sends emails with attachments to me and can upload video if required and able to control it from anywhere in the World on a smart phone or PC.

They are quite cheap and easy to install, got mine off eBay just
search for wireless IP camera.

Hope this helps.

Ken

A couple of suggestions that may help.
1, Contact a wrought iron specialist (yellow pages) and have some decorative window bars made and fitted on vulnerable windows.

2, Buy and fit the mock outside alarm box and post a warning on window stating that an alarm / CCTV is in operation. ( these can be purchased very cheaply on ebay).

Nothing will stop a determined thief but they may deter a chancer.

Terry

it depends what you prefer, solid (passive) precautions like shutters, metal grills, burglarproof doors and windows, drill-proof locks, etc. or the electronic precautions (wired or wireless) like cctv, intruder alarm systems for doors/windows, optical and acoustic signalization, monitoring/recording devices, signal transmission to your cellphone or police station etc. etc.

There are so many options that it's not so easy to give a good advice without knowledge of your requirements and possibilities in your flat.
Any cheap and fast DIY- or "handyman"-measures are not worth the money !

You could contact ALBERTA (one of the most renowned companies in Malta).
They offer a lot of products for home solutions as well as can recommend companies for installation and metal works.

There are also a lot of small companies/resellers for home safety/security systems (hardware and also electronic solutions), but I do not have experience with them and do not know the prices for domestic equipment, hence cannot recommend any of them.

My advice: go to your nearest hardware store/ironmongery and ask for an appropriate company. You can also check the magazines like Voucher, Bargain, Hotspot since there are always some classifieds for security systems. Or maybe ask your home insurance company for advice.

Markus

tearnet wrote:

2, Buy and fit the mock outside alarm box

It's quite easy to differ a mock from a "real" camera/alarm/signal unit.

Better is to buy a "real one" (even if it's used or not working) and fix it but don't connect it.

"Any cheap and fast DIY- or "handyman"-measures are not worth the money !"

Totaly disagree, advice given by police is that any measures are better than no measures at all! Leaving a light on a timer when you are out is cheap and recomended by police!
Most thieves are opportunists and will be detered by the most basic precautions.

Terry

Yes, agree, "this" kind of measures are better than nothing.
If you have a house it's also good to install an energy saver lamp with built in brightness sensor which provides light during the night at your entrance door and backyard/garden.

But what I meant was the purchasing and installation of "cheap" electronic systems without adequate knowledge and skills. Those diy-measures are not really reliable and can cause a lot of "inconvenience"
It also won't help, if you've installed a cctv-system and the burglar also takes your data recorder with him ...

It's the same with metal grills for the backyard windows, which are mounted with screws from outside
It will probably keep casual thieves away, but it's not a serious security measure.

This is England wrote:

Is there anyone who can give me some advice about how to keep my apartment more secure? Does anyone have any contacts or experience of using electic shutters on their windows or metal grilles? If so please could you let me know of any recommendations you have of good tradespeople who can help me with this? It is quite urgent and I need info asap my friends. Thankyou in advance.
Caroline

My advice was aimed at giving practical advice for the original poster who is looking to quickly make a holiday apartment more secure.
Remote systems that tell you that someone is already inside your apartment are not much help if you are in the UK. By the time the police arrive the thief is long gone! As I said before a determined thief will always gain entry.

Terry

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts and comments. I have just had the insurance assessor here but even he could not recommend anyone in particular. I just have to now contact a few companies to get the damage fixed and a replacement window and then also going to find out how much shutters cost. I think an alarm box may be a good idea... no point in a real alarm as no one here to switch it off. We have also thought about a camera which transmits back to phone in UK... that would only be good for maybe identifying the person(s). Think we may well fit a timer for lights etc. and/or a sensor light outside.

Maybe also rig up a small radio on a timer for sound in the property - the better timers with a 7 day timing operation would be best for alternating times....maybe even record a dog barking....and rig up a means of playing the recording so as not to annoy the neighbours of course.

I agree but these days recordings can be uploaded to the cloud and if a reputable company/person installed it this should be an option that should have been discussed.


Ken

tearnet wrote:

This is England wrote:

Is there anyone who can give me some advice about how to keep my apartment more secure? Does anyone have any contacts or experience of using electic shutters on their windows or metal grilles? If so please could you let me know of any recommendations you have of good tradespeople who can help me with this? It is quite urgent and I need info asap my friends. Thankyou in advance.
Caroline

My advice was aimed at giving practical advice for the original poster who is looking to quickly make a holiday apartment more secure.
Remote systems that tell you that someone is already inside your apartment are not much help if you are in the UK. By the time the police arrive the thief is long gone! As I said before a determined thief will always gain entry.

Terry

I agree Terry, not much good if you are in the UK but with todays CCTV they have built in speakers and you can warn perps that the police are on their way and put the fear of god in them before they do too much damage, even better when they look directly into the cctv when they hear your voice as you get a clear picture of them

But like everyone is saying anytype of measurement is good and if you can afford it get the best.

Ken

toonarmy9752 wrote:

Maybe also rig up a small radio on a timer for sound in the property - the better timers with a 7 day timing operation would be best for alternating times....maybe even record a dog barking....and rig up a means of playing the recording so as not to annoy the neighbours of course.

Or just boobytrap the place

thanks everyone... quite like the idea of booby traps.can just imagine coming in to find someone caught in a trap...
I found a company who make shutters... the guy came out and measured up and I negotiated a discount... I told him I didn't want any inflated prices for foreigners.. having done my research... the price he has given is a lot less than it would cost in the UK. Need to find a carpenter now to fix bathroom door ..it's all splintered where the sods levered it open. Looks like I'm gonna have to change my flight home from this Saturday to the following... more money! Yes I definitely need more money.

This is England wrote:

Looks like I'm gonna have to change my flight home from this Saturday to the following... more money! Yes I definitely need more money.

Look on the bright side, at least you are missing the snow and the cold

well yes there is that to be thankful for. Although it's been raining hard here and pretty windy!

Rocking Ken wrote:

I agree but these days recordings can be uploaded to the cloud and if a reputable company/person installed it this should be an option that should have been discussed.
Ken

There are even much more features feasible with a state-of-the-art cctv system: independant operation, tamper-proof, intruder detection (movement/body heat), alerting functions, signal forwarding to your phone/security company/police, live streaming of the pictures to your smartphone or a secure web site (also good for spot checks) etc. etc. ... and it's not really expensive, esp. in combination with other systems (intruder alarm, gas/fire/water leakage detection, home-network, ...)

But where to start and where to end? it's first of all a question of your personal requirements and your budget.

It's true, a cctv systems cannot prevent a burglar from breaking into your flat, but it helps to keep them away ... or at least it helps to identify him later on.

On the other side, 3 locks at the door and metal grills in front of the windows may remind you sitting in prison, better having glass break sensors and opening indicators.

And - yes, sorry, I'm an engineer, and therefore cannot give short and clear and easily understandable answers ...

An architect, an artist and an engineer were discussing whether it was better to spend time with the wife or a mistress. The architect said he enjoyed time with his wife, building a solid foundation for an enduring relationship. The artist said he enjoyed time with his mistress, because of the passion and mystery he found there.

The engineer said, "I like both."

"Both?" they asked.

Engineer: "Yeah. If you have a wife and a mistress, they will each assume you are spending time with the other woman, and you can go to the lab and get some work done."


To the optimist, the glass is half full.
To the pessimist, the glass is half empty.
To the engineer, the glass is incorrectly designed.

How many software engineers does it take to change a lightbulb? None. They wouldn't do it. It's a hardware problem.

Thanks Matm for that. My partner is an engineer too and you atually sound like him. He is the ultimate gadget man, and if he was here right now he would be hands on sorting out solutions. However as he is back in the UK and I am the one here..it's me who has to sort the problem although he is giving what advice he can. No doubt whe he is back here he will come up with another idea. He had already talked about some of the things you have mentioned.
To Redmik.. thanks for that..just about sums up an engineer...haha.... been feeling so down today..but that cheered me up.

My favorit:
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet.

***********

Two engineers were walking along the street when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, "Take what you want."

The second engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

haha.. Matm. that's a good one. My engineer other half has 2 bikes... a BMWRT11 or 1100 and a 1964 BSA Lightning which was a basket case and he rebuilt it. So |I know how much he loves his bikes

Tell your partner he has to bring the BSA with him !!! It's cheap to run and Malta is perfect for this.
About the RT1100 I'm not sure, it's quite expensive to register ist and Malta is to small for such a bike ... unless he's planning to go for a trip to Sicily or Sardinia - or make a trek from UK to Malta

If I only would have known about the prices of used motorcycles here in Malta, before I sold the bikes in Austria ...

Since in Austria I had 3-4 months "winter break", every year in the autumn I bought a damaged bike or 'barn find' for cheap money and repaired or rebuilt them, e.g. a '76 BMW R75/6, a '81 Suzuki GS450, a '88 BMW R100GS, a '91 Honda Transalp 600, a 98' Suzuki Bandit 1200 and also several mopeds and scooters ... or, at a pinch, other motor gadgets like chain saws, snow blowers, lawn mowers, lawn tractors etc.

But the problem was - or is - that as soon as something is again in good working order, I loose my interest, sell it and look for a new "challenge"

Tip: Historic Motorcycle Club Malta

it is me or is there a lot of engineers on this forum

yes he wants to do another bike now.. but can't do that until he's finished renovating our house... we moved in last June and having to tackle it bit by bit.... it's like a basket case!! Was up on th egarage roof with him a couple of weeks ago helping him to reroof it! What a nightmare.. I was frozen.

Oh and Ken... I'm not an engineer unless you can call my culinary skills as engineering food!

This is England wrote:

Oh and Ken... I'm not an engineer unless you can call my culinary skills as engineering food!

ha-ha best kind of engineer...

Had my wife on the garage roof a couple of years ago and she fell through, what a giggle we had...

Hope you get the house sorted before you go back to the UK....

Which house..the one in the UK is being renovated while we live in it... so it's not easy.... the one here as you know now needs some bits fixing. Are you a scuba diver Ken? We scuba too..

This is England wrote:

Which house..the one in the UK is being renovated while we live in it... so it's not easy.... the one here as you know now needs some bits fixing. Are you a scuba diver Ken? We scuba too..

In that case both lol, yeah I dive as much as I can work permitting but getting a bit sick of diving in the North Sea, another reason why I want to move

Well, I was one, once too.

Electronics
Hydraulics
Optics
&
General Engineering.

And I love gadgets

Haha Redmik, my other half is the ultimate gadget man...more gadgets than you can shake a stick at!