Fighting credit crunch crime




Chris Woollard, OEM Product Manager for Yale UK, looks at how the economic recession is impacting on UK crime rates and how fabricators can help provide protection against credit crunch crime.

Recent Home Office figures, from July to September 2008 gave the first official indications that the economic downturn has coincided with signs of rising crime with reported cases of burglary on the increase. Figures for reported crime showed a four per cent increase in domestic burglary, a 16% increase in fraud and forgery, and a 3% increase in “other burglaries” on business and other premises in the 12 months to September.

Overall, 31 police forces across England and Wales reported a dramatic rise in burglaries and robberies during the last four months of 2008. 5,572 more cases of acquisitive crime took place during those months than the same period the previous year.

The last sustained rise in the burglary rate was seen in the mid-1990s in the aftermath of the 1991 – 1992 recession, although there were blips in 2000 – 2001.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith warned last year that crime was likely to increase during the credit crisis. A leaked memo intended for Gordon Brown read: 'Our modelling indicates that an economic downturn would place significant upward pressure on acquisitive crime and therefore overall crime figures.'

In response, Ministers have hosted an emergency summit, attended by retailers, charitable groups and Neighbourhood Watch Associations. This will be backed by a new Home Office Fund to “help people in hard times” by funding extra home security measures, including locks and alarms. The outcome is a burglary prevention campaign, which includes home security testing by website.

The fabricator’s role

With so much media coverage on the topic and increasing Government involvement, it is inevitable that consumers will become more aware of home security in these difficult times. So what can fabricators do to ease fears over credit crunch crime?

In times like these, the ability of hardware suppliers to support customers and to react quickly is especially important. If fabricators and installers offer the latest hardware products on the market, they can provide customers with protection against the most common attempts by the opportunist burglars to enter a home. These include bumping, snapping, extraction and the most common way to force a cylinder, drilling.

One of the products available from Yale UK, is a range of kitemarked anti-manipulation euro profile cylinders, which have been independently tested and proven to exceed the new British Standard BS EN 1303:2007. Secured by Design, the cylinder offers a long-term bump resistant solution for front and back doors.

When the kitemark cylinder is used with Yale’s High Security Handle, fabricators and installers can also achieve PAS24 for commercial contracts. The handle’s external backplate manufactured from solid aluminium provides increased resistance, while steel lugs and M6 screws ensure the handle remains on the door, even when under attack.

As consumers seek assurance that every aspect of their home is in safe hands, using hardware products from trusted brands such as Yale, which has 98% recognition and is associated across the world with trust, reliability and value, will help to provide the peace of mind so many currently crave.

Yale’s Installer Scheme offers a support network for fabricators and installers to help them best use the vast, quality product ranges available, which have been developed to combat all types of attack and adhere to the latest British Standards and Regulations.

The Installer Scheme offers selling advice and technical support, product sales literature, registered Yale installer certification and promotional material to help fabricators and installers to remain synonymous with the world’s favourite lock company.

For further information on the full range of Yale home security solutions for fabricators and installers, and the Yale Installer Scheme, please contact the Yale Fabricator and Installer helpline on 0845 223 2128. www.yalelock.co.uk