19 November 2024 | Forematic Ltd
How physical measures are the heart of rural security
It became headline news when a brave and diligent officer intervened. Police forces consider property theft an insurance matter not worth putting their officers at risk.
Rural properties then need to stand for increasingly high insurance, or greater physical deterrents. Our industry needs to provide the electric gate automation solutions.
RAM RAID RESISTANCE
Every part of an automated gate has its purpose. The gate automation replaces the human muscle, the electric locking secures the gate and protects the motor. But the gate needs to strong enough to resist an impact. A weak point in a swing gate is its hinges which will shear with sufficient impact force, or can be cut through with a battery grinder.
Safety regulations recommend more than two hinges or safety cables. A long safety cable can hold a gate in position, but prevent it from swinging open. A hardened steel chain takes longer to cut than a mild steel hinge. The simplest antiram measure is to have the gates swing out to open.
Sliding gates are far more ram resistant than swing gates. The force is applied to the vertical posts. Knocking over a sliding gate can leave a bigger problem for vehicle access. Consider horizontal steel spikes along the top of the gate. If the gate is knocked flat, those spikes become vertical tyre shredders. If ram a raid gate is to protect the property allow for some gate damage. A mangled gate can stop, trap, or disable a vehicle.
This blocker by Concentric Security is similar to a collapsible tank defence, and a great deterrent. A single ram can lift it into position, but the ram does not need to withstand the force of the crash vehicle. For safety reasons, it cannot be
used in a public area, the only advantage of a rural setting. Arable farmers are resourceful engineers with down time in the winter. This could be a useful project in the off season.
The American Embassy in Beirut was rammed by a lorry full of explosives in 1983. Since then, US forces installed concrete defences to slow vehicles down. A little extreme for rural farms, but road humps can have a lesser effect without
impeding a tractor. An aluminium arm barrier installed on a police station compound had a nasty surprise for a thief attempting to steal back his car. A steel rope hidden inside the arm converted his saloon into a soft top.
CCTV
It is a crime drama cliché that ‘CCTV was switched off’. We have become resistant to CCTV because we don’t believe they work. Last century cameras were expensive, but dummy cameras were not. Technology is now cheap. A camera can read a number plate, but is likely organised thieves have covered or changed the plates. Monitoring a public access road needs a Public Space
Surveillance licence. CCTV is a weak deterrent, but shows site security has been addressed.
ELECTRIC LOCKING
Gate motors are not made to resist break in forces. Electric locking is required to provide strength. But most locks have short strokes suitable for rigid door frames, but ineffective on long leaf gates. CISA’s Elettrika and Securitron’s GL1 are self-aligning locks that resist ‘crow barring’. Additional steelwork around the lock will protect the lock against angle grinders. Any key release needs to be on the secure side of the gate.
MOTORISED SHOOT BOLTS
Early motorised bolts used on electric gates where assembled from electric gate rams. They were bulky, slow, and ugly, but very secure and a great deterrent. More recently Locinox & AES have produced slimline smart fast bolts more suitable for domestic electric gates. Important features are a high tensile
bolt, long stroke, and microswitches for synchronising with the electric gate control panel.
Conclusions. Good physical security is brutal looking which is what makes it a good deterrent. Thieves look for a clean getaway, so trapping their vehicle (stolen or not) may block their exit and leave them to walk home.
Rural properties then need to stand for increasingly high insurance, or greater physical deterrents. Our industry needs to provide the electric gate automation solutions.
RAM RAID RESISTANCE
Every part of an automated gate has its purpose. The gate automation replaces the human muscle, the electric locking secures the gate and protects the motor. But the gate needs to strong enough to resist an impact. A weak point in a swing gate is its hinges which will shear with sufficient impact force, or can be cut through with a battery grinder.
Safety regulations recommend more than two hinges or safety cables. A long safety cable can hold a gate in position, but prevent it from swinging open. A hardened steel chain takes longer to cut than a mild steel hinge. The simplest antiram measure is to have the gates swing out to open.
Sliding gates are far more ram resistant than swing gates. The force is applied to the vertical posts. Knocking over a sliding gate can leave a bigger problem for vehicle access. Consider horizontal steel spikes along the top of the gate. If the gate is knocked flat, those spikes become vertical tyre shredders. If ram a raid gate is to protect the property allow for some gate damage. A mangled gate can stop, trap, or disable a vehicle.
This blocker by Concentric Security is similar to a collapsible tank defence, and a great deterrent. A single ram can lift it into position, but the ram does not need to withstand the force of the crash vehicle. For safety reasons, it cannot be
used in a public area, the only advantage of a rural setting. Arable farmers are resourceful engineers with down time in the winter. This could be a useful project in the off season.
The American Embassy in Beirut was rammed by a lorry full of explosives in 1983. Since then, US forces installed concrete defences to slow vehicles down. A little extreme for rural farms, but road humps can have a lesser effect without
impeding a tractor. An aluminium arm barrier installed on a police station compound had a nasty surprise for a thief attempting to steal back his car. A steel rope hidden inside the arm converted his saloon into a soft top.
CCTV
It is a crime drama cliché that ‘CCTV was switched off’. We have become resistant to CCTV because we don’t believe they work. Last century cameras were expensive, but dummy cameras were not. Technology is now cheap. A camera can read a number plate, but is likely organised thieves have covered or changed the plates. Monitoring a public access road needs a Public Space
Surveillance licence. CCTV is a weak deterrent, but shows site security has been addressed.
ELECTRIC LOCKING
Gate motors are not made to resist break in forces. Electric locking is required to provide strength. But most locks have short strokes suitable for rigid door frames, but ineffective on long leaf gates. CISA’s Elettrika and Securitron’s GL1 are self-aligning locks that resist ‘crow barring’. Additional steelwork around the lock will protect the lock against angle grinders. Any key release needs to be on the secure side of the gate.
MOTORISED SHOOT BOLTS
Early motorised bolts used on electric gates where assembled from electric gate rams. They were bulky, slow, and ugly, but very secure and a great deterrent. More recently Locinox & AES have produced slimline smart fast bolts more suitable for domestic electric gates. Important features are a high tensile
bolt, long stroke, and microswitches for synchronising with the electric gate control panel.
Conclusions. Good physical security is brutal looking which is what makes it a good deterrent. Thieves look for a clean getaway, so trapping their vehicle (stolen or not) may block their exit and leave them to walk home.