The Outlaws – What You Can Learn

The excellent BBC series The Outlaws reached a nail-biting conclusion with an audacious raid on a large London home.  The planning and execution of the raid was incredible and had us second guessing all the way through.  As security experts we shouldn’t really be rooting for the burglars, but in this case they were actually the good guys, so it’s allowed, but we did think about what we could learn from the plan.

The most obvious one is never to admit strangers’ entry to your property, unless they have made an appointment and can show ID.  In The Outlaws one of the crew turned the water off at the street, while others posed as plumbers on a break by their van.  The security guard at the property in question allowed them, and their van, to enter the property and park inside the perimeter.  This was his first mistake, and the one that made the whole plan possible.

Another lesson from the show was to be aware of hiding places inside the home where intruders could lay low until an opportune moment, so always be fully aware of who is inside your property and how many people may be coming and going.  Don’t leave the front door open to allow anyone to walk in and hide out.

Overall, the audacity of the team and the simple human error of the security guard and homeowner in the show, was the root cause of the plan working – it’s easy for people to get distracted, or unwittingly provide information to thieves that they can use later.  In fact, part of the planning was to find out exactly what security arrangements were in place at the target property.  Please be assured we will never share the details of any customer’s exact set up, even if we’re asked by a convincingly sincere member of the aristocracy.

Some other security concerns for large properties are the increased number of entry points and hiding places.  With a large perimeter and areas of garden that can’t be seen from the main house there could be several excellent places for criminals to hide out.  Having a guard dog is a good idea on a property with a large garden.  Outbuildings, side and back gates and a greater distance between neighbouring properties are all extra concerns for a large house and gardens.

A large property needs a multi-layered approach to security, treating the perimeter, immediate grounds and buildings separately.  First, the perimeter needs to be secure, so a tall anti-climb fence is ideal, as are hedges made from blackthorn, hawthorn and holly – any spiky plant around the edges will deter intruders from attempting entry.  Gates should be access controlled and with CCTV coverage, so they are only opened to recognised or authorised visitors.

The immediate grounds around the main property and other outbuildings needs motion sensitive lighting as a minimum, as well as gravel paths and spiky planting to make it hard for anyone to approach without being heard or hurt.  Make use of open space and the luxury of a large garden to have open views around the property – reduce hiding places and vantage points where intruders can scope out the comings and goings.

Buildings should have an intruder alarm system which covers all doors and windows.  Good quality locks on doors and windows are a must, and it is wise not to leave windows open in areas of the house that aren’t frequently occupied.  CCTV around entry points can also be deterrent as well as valuable evidence.  Keep valuables out of sight and make use of hidden safes for high value items like jewellery, watches and cash – large homes are targeted because burglars believe there will be desirable items inside.

P&R Alarms are your local Midlands based experts for security systems for any and all type of property, from large commercial facilities to rented flats, from retail stores to country estates, and everything in between.