46 • NATIONAL HOME SECURITY MONTH
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A SAFE AT HOME IS NO LONGER JUST FOR THE SUPER-RICH
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THROUGHOUT MANY PARTS OF Europe such as The Netherlands , Belgium , and - to a slightly lesser extent Germany - having a safe in your home is as natural and common as having a TV . It is just one of life ’ s necessities to the people of these countries . This is not because burglary or indeed other crime statistics are higher in these countries than in the UK . It is because enjoying the peace-of-mind that a safe provides is a contentment that the residents of these countries would not even contemplate living without .
Safes can , and should , be used to securely store not only cash and extremely valuable jewellery but a multitude of other items which are either time consuming and complicated to replace or indeed , simply irreplaceable . The family passports needed the night before that long-awaited holiday , a will that should be stored securely , insurance documents and share certificates , are all items which alone may not have any significant value themselves but can be difficult and sometimes even costly to replace . Whilst other things such as a child ’ s first tooth , a partner ’ s love letter , or indeed any sentimental trinket or family heirloom may to the owner be priceless .
For these reasons more and more consumers in the UK are now making the decision to invest in a safe for their home . We spoke to Matthew Dumsday , the National Sales Manager at the UK ’ s oldest and leading independent safe manufacturer , Insafe . Matthew commented , “ It ’ s great to see that consumers in the UK are now taking home security more seriously than ever . However , the worrying thing from my point-of-view is that the largest retailers of ‘ safes ’ on the high street and on the internet are companies such as Argos and Amazon . The problem here being that the vast majority of products that these large retailers sell are not actually ‘ proper ’ safes , but in essence a steel box with a lock fitted to it .”
Matthew ’ s comments bring us on to the next question : What actually is a safe ? This is where insurance companies can be extremely useful in providing information to the consumer . Insurance companies will give a safe a cash and valuables rating based on the ‘ grade ’ of the safe . To achieve a ‘ grade ’, a safe must be independently tested and certified , not by the manufacturer but by a recognised , independent testing institution . Matthew says , “ It is vital that consumers are given the best information and advice available when they are considering purchasing a safe . It has always been clear to me and my colleagues at Insafe that locksmiths are amongst the best people to give this advice . In many instances a consumer can actually visit a locksmith shop and view a range of safes .” Matthew also pointed out that locksmiths know the questions to ask a consumer to determine which type of safe will be best suited for their needs .
So what are the questions a consumer should be asked ? What amount of cash will be stored in the safe ? What is the value of other items to be stored ? Does the consumer require key or electronic locking ? Is fire as well as burglary protection required ? Where is the safe to be located in the house ? Sometimes these questions can appear quite personal or even intrusive but this is where the skill and tact of a professional locksmith come in .
Matthew pointed out that a real safe is often the last line of defence , “ although it is a slightly different scenario , in a riot situation there are normally alarms sounding , CCTV in operation and maybe even a police presence . However people still walk into a shop to attempt to steel goods or cash . In many instances it is just the safe that prevents them from doing this . This situation is unfortunately mirrored all too often in a residential property . If a burglary does take place , it is the safe that prevents valuable and irreplaceable items from being stolen . It is the last line of defence .”
In conclusion Matthew said that , “ Insafe is proud to support a network of Premium Partner Locksmiths . All of our safes , from the Insafe Guardian S2 range with a valuables rating of £ 40,000 ( cash £ 4,000 ) through to our EuroCash Grade 6 with a valuables rating of £ 1.5 million ( cash £ 150,000 ) are independently tested and certified against attack by LPCB to a recognised European Standard . This gives our locksmith partners , and in turn their customers , peace-of-mind , safe in the knowledge that they are buying a real safe from a true safe manufacturer , that will protect their valuables .”
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL . CO . UK | SEP / OCT 2018