Calling all vaults around the world ... you have to upgrade your security alarms to a Verified Active Audio Security System.
The recent Hatton Garden jewelry heist has the makings of a Hollywood movie. A gang of six thieves plotted to commit a bold robbery of precious jewels and cash in London England’s jewelry district.
These sophisticated thieves patiently hid in an office building waiting for staff to complete their safety deposit centre lockup on Easter weekend.
Once the coast was clear, the criminals proceeded to rappel down an elevator shaft until they reached the basement. After cutting through metal security bars, the jewel thieves disabled the vault alarm system and used state-of-the-art tools to drill through an 18 inch thick reinforced metal door! The drilling would have made a lot of noise and yet there were no active audio alarms used, just CCTV.
The bold gem thieves raided over 70 safety deposit boxes, returning twice within the 3-day heist. And they got away clean although it was all recorded on CCTV so owners and investigators could watch after the fact.
This case is an example where how a conventional motion sensor/ door contact security alarm failed to protect precious gems valued at 200 million pounds.
So what went wrong?
The biggest misstep with the Hatton Garden Vault was using a conventional burglar alarm. No one should be shocked how easy it was to get in, stay in for hours, leave and return and not be detected.
The problem with all conventional burglar alarm system is that they are easily beaten and unverified and don't include audio detection.
Although a single motion or door alarm was received during this event by the conventional alarm monitoring company, because it was an unverified alarm Police did not respond; a guard was dispatched who only checked the ground floor perimeter of the building and found no open doors, broken windows or holes in the walls. Had police been dispatched they would have done exactly the same thing.
Had Hatton Garden had a Sonitrol Verified Active Audio Security system; Sonitrol would have heard the thieves as they started to break-in through walls and bars. The activation would have advised the actual point of entry ie Basement Vault and police would have been dispatched to check the Basement Vault, not the facilities perimeter.
Therefore the CCTV footage recorded the entire heist as it unfolded, but it did not help stop the sophisticated jewelry heist and the thieves got away. There was no live monitoring of the CCTV ... they just had a video recording of the event.
Although not a required addition to verified audio, Sonavision could be added as an additional layer of protection to assist with Police response.
It’s a shame that the owners of this vault spent tens of thousands of dollars on conventional burglar alarm system and CCTV so after the fact they could watch the thieves steal everything they wanted through 48 hours of continuous thievery… all they really needed was Sonitrol Active Audio as we would have heard the thieves as they started to break-in through the walls.
If you want to watch someone successfully steal from you, after the fact, buy a CCTV system and a conventional alarm.
If you want to deter a break-in and apprehend the thieves - buy Sonitrol verified active audio and Sonavision.
The power of Sonitrol’s Active Audio technology lies not only in the ability to recognize break-ins the minute they occur, but also in its effective Central Monitoring Station.
Once a Sonitrol security alarm is tripped, operators listen-in and verify the alarm - they would be able to hear people drilling and talking. Combined with Sonavision monitored video, our operators have the power to listen and watch events as they unfold. We'd verify the alarm and notify the Police immediately ... and they would be guaranteed to respond.
A Central Monitoring Station relays real-time information to the Police.
Had the owners of the vault invested in a verified active audio and video security solution with a live central monitoring station, Police would have been notified immediately that a crime was in-progress.
An integrated security solution such as verified audio and video would have allowed operators to pass on information that would assist Police in apprehending the criminals. How many criminals are committing the crime? Where are they located in the building? How many are in the vault? This information is incredibly valuable to Police, so they arrive at the scene prepared.
And I can guarantee that if the alarm was verified and this real-time information was passed onto Police through expert operators, the call would have ensured quick Police response and criminal apprehension.
More importantly, Police would have been notified of the break-in attempt before the vault was even reached by the robbers.
If you're in the vault business and you're still using a traditional alarm system, call me now for an upgrade to a verified audio and video security system at 1-866-766-4876.
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About Sonitrol Western Canada:
We're so confident in our technology and responsive service, that no one else in the industry can match our guarantee. Our unique verified audio and CCTV video business security solutions enable our operators to hear and see what is happening in your business before the criminals gain entry!! We verify the actual source of the alarm, and we get the police to attend the scene immediately. FOR A FREE SECURITY AUDIT, click here, or call 1-866-766-4876 - We are a security company with over 150 offices across North America serving clients across Western Canada in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Victoria, Vancouver , Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon.
Sonitrol Western Canada, with its Verified Electronic Security Systems, is committed to providing customers with the most comprehensive security protection. Cooperation in the elimination of false alarms is not only beneficial to the system’s user, but results in better protection of the entire community by allowing law enforcement to use their resources as efficiently as possible.
