|
Security Smoke for Instant Protection
The desperation produced by repeated burglaries, despite all the normal physical and electronic measures being installed, resulted in a new approach to securing buildings.
The solution is to provide a response that is so quick that protection is in place instantly, which simply robs the burglar of the time that he needs. - Smokecloak
Security is not an extravagance, it is a necessity. The face of security changes to reflect the modus operandi of the villain. Fifty years ago, commercial building security consisted of strong doors and good locks; usually the only place window bars could be found was on the local high street bank.
Over the years, crime became more widespread and in the mid 1960s the UK’s first commercial electronic intruder alarm kit was developed. Insurance companies quickly realised the importance of the response generated by these alarms and very soon it became a requirement to install an alarm in order to gain insurance cover. The security industry flourished. Unfortunately, criminals do not give up easily – they adapted to the need for a fast attack so that they could be away before security personnel or police could attend and as a result, people became disenchanted with alarm systems.
With the explosion in the use of computers in the late 1980s a new type of crime was established, now targeting the general office environment which was, up until then, relatively safe. Memory chip theft became commonplace with the added problem that business not only suffered the loss of valuable parts, but in addition, work was disrupted until repairs could be made. The problem still exists today with all computer users a potential target; the difference now is that the villains take the whole computer, creating even more disruption.
In recent times, there have been increasing sales of CCTV in the belief that if you can’t catch the villain at least you can photograph him, this assuming that the burglar has not covered his face. Sadly, CCTV does not successfully stop losses, it simply videos the perpetrator at work.
The simple burglary, in which no one is threatened, is one of the crimes we see so much of these days and it ranks low on the scale of importance - the empty private home broken into during the day, or the unattended business premises robbed late at night, wrecked and cleaned out by the criminals. Burglaries occur so frequently that we accept them as a part of life. The burglar knows that, unless he or she is unlucky enough to be caught in the act or informed on, there is very little likelihood of being caught.
Burglary only becomes important when you become the victim. Finding your personal possessions tossed casually on the floor, the damage, dirt and the lingering feeling that you are no longer safe, turns you into more than just a disinterested onlooker. You fit stronger locks on the doors, new locks on the windows and put in an alarm system. When your business is burgled, there can be far more serious consequences as you may be put out of business altogether; even if you put things back together again, you still lie awake every night waiting for the call from the local police station informing you of the next break-in.
The story we unfold is typical; however the ending is not. A British businessman - Paul Dards - ran an electronics company which was by its very nature a magnet to burglars: Dards Electronics provided sales and service for car hi-fi equipment, which was highly prized among the criminal fraternity.
When he opened his first business, in the early 1970s, he believed in the honest citizen and the value of a good strong lock on the front and back doors. The police visited him a few months after he had opened and were stunned to find that he had not yet been attacked and robbed.
They told him to fit metal grilles on all his exposed windows, and cover all weak areas with solid steel in addition to fit special security locks. Grudgingly, he took the advice on board and employed the local blacksmith to carry out the recommendations. The result - no burglar came near the premises for 15 years, and his business expanded; the physical protection was enough to displace the villain elsewhere.
However, as time went on, the thieves were getting bolder, and eventually in 1992 he experienced his first burglary. Once the shock of being telephoned in the middle of the night had subsided, came the despair of seeing his smart, organised business premises wrecked. Broken glass had found a resting place in every nook and cranny; speakers, radios and other valuable electronic products had been wrenched from their moorings in the demonstration areas and had either been taken or tossed casually onto the floor, damaged beyond repair. His initial feeling of vulnerability, surprise and shock, finally gave way to anger at the way his business had been invaded and his property ruined.
He re-evaluated his security methods but, despite adding additional electronic and physical aids, the burglars kept coming back - seven times in eight months. Like most business owners, he eventually became hardened to the robberies. The police were sympathetic, but their advice remained the same: they told him that he could not stop the burglars; all he could do was try to slow them down, and so limit the amount of goods they could get away with before the police or security personnel arrived.
For some reason their advice made him think of the thick pea-souper fogs that used to bring life in London to a grinding halt. The fog was so dense that people could walk down the street side by side and not see one another. An idea began to form in his mind: would it be possible to create his own fog, so thick and so quick to appear, that it would be capable of stopping a burglar in his tracks?
The technology behind it is based on the dry-ice smoke effect often used on-stage or in discos. It uses glycol - a non-toxic substance found in wine (which gives it body) and many foodstuffs. He set to work building a prototype, based on theatrical machines; but the smoke cleared too quickly to do the job properly. So he returned to the electronic workshop and his team for another go and, after a few months, the first machine was ready to be installed in his Milton Keynes store. He called his invention “Smokecloak”
The design process was not over, however. Further refinements were made to the machines. Then people started suggesting that he should market Smokecloak. To his amazement a patent search revealed that there was nothing like it in existence. All his premises were fitted with the device and the burglaries stopped. The word had got round! Once the villain knew the device was installed, he turned to easier targets. The Smokecloak was providing the deterrent that grilles and bars used to supply.
Now Smokecloak was born - a deterrent that worked, which in turn led to the most radical change to the security market since the 1960s
The smoke put out by the machine is impressive; it fills 100m2 in less than 30 seconds, which is enough to cover every inch of an average shop. It uses a feedback sensor, which detects the level of smoke - when the required level is reached, the system switches off. If the density drops, it will reactivate again, maintaining protection.
Should the villain smash through the main window using a hammer, Smokecloak pulsates into action and continues to pump out enough smoke to totally terrify the invader and drive him from the building. It is designed to work with a standard alarm system, so as soon as the burglar breaks in and the alarm is activated, the smoke bursts into action. The aim is to fill the time between the alarm activating and the keyholder arriving. The largest unit, the IPX25 (for warehouse protection) weighs 72kg, and is bolted to the wall or roof struts, making it impossible for the burglar to pick it up and throw it through the window. It will stop a burglar in his tracks. An optional automatic digitised voice blares out a warning to the intruder to stand still or leave at his or her own risk. The artificial smoke is harmless, although impossible to see through; it is difficult to block it as it is forced out at an enormous speed at a temperature of 300º Celsius, although it cools rapidly, like the steam from a kettle. There is a range of Smokecloaks for all sizes of buildings/rooms from small server rooms to huge warehouses
The Instant Protection created by a Smokecloak results in a physical barrier applied electronically at the moment of attack – no grilles or bars needed, and best of all, no loss of property.
When the Smokecloak product was launched in 1993 there was a considerable amount of scepticism and concern about the new technology. What if the burglar fell over in the smoke and injured himself? The potential liability claim was, of course, a real issue; this was solved by an insurance policy to specifically cover this risk. The cover is still provided today free of charge with every Smokecloak and it is interesting to note that after all these years, there has never been a claim.
The police and fire services also had misgivings about the concept; this has been addressed by approved signage provided with every system and both services being advised about every installation. Interestingly, Smokecloak became the first electronic security system to obtain police approval via the Secured by Design initiative.
One question often asked is, what about contamination? Provided the system has been installed correctly, the Smokecloak system will not leave any residue; it has a unique patented feedback device that measures the concentration of the vapour and maintains it at the correct density, even if the villain tries to vent the smoke by smashing doors, windows etc.
The systems are now installed in all types of businesses from offices to schools, pubs to warehouses.
The biggest growth in usage has been in the retail sector with companies like The Carphone Warehouse installing Smokecloak across their whole estate with over 500 shops protected.
Dean Saunders of the Carphone Warehouse states: "The Carphone Warehouse have found Smokecloak to be the most efficient and cost effective solution to burglary within the marketplace during the last five years."
One of the most interesting developments has been the use of Smokecloak for daytime hold up protection. Utilising specially developed Smokecloaks, Barclays bank protects a large number of their premises against armed attacks.
Recently, one of their branches in the North West of England was attacked by two men wearing balaclavas and boiler suits and armed with a shotgun and a sledgehammer. They threatened the staff and demanded entry into the secure area; one of the men started to attack the glass counter screen, when the Smokecloak was triggered by a member of staff; within seconds the villains were driven from the bank to their getaway car.
Tony Bayliss, Head of Crime and Intelligence Management at Barclays, said “Quite simply, villains cannot operate if they cannot see anything. The idea of the Smokecloak system is to drive the robbers from the building. We deploy it in the counter area and towards the door so we don’t trap the robbers in the bank but drive them from it. “
He continues: “Traditional methods had failed to deter robbers, however Smokecloak has not only saved us from substantial cash losses but has prevented further severe trauma for our staff and customers.”
Smokecloak is designed to integrate with the existing alarm system and is manufactured and distributed by Martin Security Smoke Ltd.
Web: www.smokecloak.com Email:
 Top of Page
|
