AS the economic meltdown takes its toll and unemployment skyrockets, so does the crime rate.
Driven to desperation, more and more people are being forced to steal simply to survive.
One enterprising Phuket security company has come up with a shocking way to deter thieves.
They have started installing electric fences to keep intruders well away from some of the island’s more valuable properties.
“We installed our first electric fence around a home in Mission Hill in December last year, and since then we have had more and more business and homeowners wanting them,” said Chris Anderson, who operates Security Safe Stop on Srithoonthorn Road in Thalang.
“I even have one at my own office,” he said.
The electric fences pump out a fierce but non-lethal 7000 volts.
“They won’t kill you, but believe me, you don’t want to touch one,” said Chris.
He said the fences were cheap to run and used about the same amount of electricity as a 40 watt light globe.
The electric fences are also spring loaded and wired to an alarm system. If anyone interferes with the fence, or cuts one of the stainless steel wires, a piercing alarm will sound, alerting the homeowner to the presence of an intruder, and at the same time scaring the villain away.
The fences are clearly marked with ‘High Voltage’ signs every 10 metres, as required by law, to warn innocent people of the dangers of coming into contact with the wires, and they can be turned off at anytime, such as when the lawns are being mowed, or there is a party in progress.
The fences also effectively keep stray dogs and other unwanted animals off the property.
Chris says there are various models of electric fencing, which range in height from five strands to as many as a client may require.
It costs about 20,000 baht for the electronic equipment, and about 850 baht per metre.
Security Safe Stop also has a wide range of other security services, including motion and gap sensors, which are suitable for most homes and businesses.
Prices start at less than 3000 baht, which makes a security system a cheap and effective way of ensuring you don’t become the victim of a robbery . . . or worse.
“More and more intruders are now starting to break into homes at night when they know the homeowner will be there,” said Chris.
“They know if the owner is home, he will almost certainly have most of his valuables, such as his wallet and his laptop, at home with him.
“You have to expect that if he is prepared to break into a home when he knows the owner is there, you have to assume he will have some plan about what to do if he is disturbed.
“He may well have some sort of weapon, such as a knife or even a gun, which he will probably be prepared to use to avoid being captured.”
Chris said most of the break-ins in Phuket used to be in the Chalong and Rawai areas.
“But over the past few years, the majority of burglaries have been around Laguna and Cherng Thalay, where the thieves know there are more ‘wealthy’ farangs, and where the pickings will be much richer.”
Chris said many people mistakenly believed that having a 24-hour security guard on duty in their housing estate was sufficient.
"Security guards have their place, although you can’t expect them to have their eyes in all places all of the time. There have been some cases in the past where guards themselves have been involved in theft. For this reason an alarm system is the best defense that one can have, to protect one’s home."
“And wherever there is a population explosion, such as Phuket has had, there is always an increase in crime.”
Chris said for many people, Phuket was their second home, and they were away for long periods, making their houses prime targets for thieves.
“We can supply a digital camera system so the homeowner can keep an eye on his or her property from their laptop from anywhere in the world,” he said.
“The police here are understaffed and under resourced, so if a home of office is broken into, there is usually very little they can do.”
He also warned homeowners against installing second-rate security systems.
“Burglars broke into one home in Chalong recently simply by jemmying off the burglar bars on the window,” he said.
“The bars were simply screwed into the woodwork, which meant a man with a crowbar or a screwdriver would have no trouble removing them.”
Chris said thieves who were confronted by a house with good security, usually gave up and went looking for an easier house to break into.”
For further information, call Chris Anderson at Security Safe Stop on 076 620 010, or visit www.security safestop.com