Keeping important paperwork safe

seafarers_wife

what safe would you recommend for keeping documents and jewlerry in? ive been looking at various ones and am not sure what meets our needs hence why things are in the loft! its a big faff on to get things down but like your saying with most buglaries being in and out it makes sense to me to keep various important bits up there, but a safe would make life much easier.


eta

this is something liek what ive been looking at, but i dont know if its big enough for what i want it for, im probably being paranoid but is that something that the average 4 bed house would be able to cope wiht?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/73925/Security/Safes/Euro-Grade-Burglary-Safes/Phoenix-Security-Safe-43Ltr

SailorSam

seafarers_wife wrote: »

i also keep my paperwork in the loft i

When i was doing Voluntary work i had lady come to see me one day, she had a box in the loft with all their valuables, thousands in cash and jewellery, it wasn't secured 'cos as you say nobody went up there.
One day they went up to get stuff out but it was empty, the only person that had been in the loft was a builder some years earlier, so it was obviously him, but she had no proof, this was years later. She'd been the police and they told her there was nothing she could do.

Tropez

seafarers_wife wrote: »

what safe would you recommend for keeping documents and jewlerry in? ive been looking at various ones and am not sure what meets our needs hence why things are in the loft! its a big faff on to get things down but like your saying with most buglaries being in and out it makes sense to me to keep various important bits up there, but a safe would make life much easier.


eta

this is something liek what ive been looking at, but i dont know if its big enough for what i want it for, im probably being paranoid but is that something that the average 4 bed house would be able to cope wiht?
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/73925/Security/Safes/Euro-Grade-Burglary-Safes/Phoenix-Security-Safe-43Ltr

It always depends just how much stuff you're planning on putting in there. If you have what I would consider an average amount of jewellry, then it might suffice, providing other things going in aren't excessive. I have a rather funny story about someone who filled up a safe with bars of gold but perhaps shouldn't mention that here...

Fixing bolts allow you to bolt it to the floor although if it were in the attic this might not be desirable - some of them can be bolted to a wall but once again, attic might not be desirable but this does succeed in making it even harder to move, were one so inclined which is a good thing.

I'm always somewhat wary about lock and key types of safes due to the possibility of either losing the keys, or leaving them somewhere that they can be discovered. I prefer digital systems myself but if you can keep on top of the key situation then for many people a key locking system will suffice.

The easiest way to judge the size you need is to steal some cardboard boxes from the supermarket and then plonk in what you are likely to put in there. Once you've found an adequate sized box then look for a safe of around the same dimensions.

Mojisola

Thanks for the replies. We have a safe which is hidden and screwed to the wall but it's not very big so we use it for passports, cash, etc.

I've started to get all our paperwork tidied up - partly in response to a death in the family and realising how difficult anyone else would find it trying to sort through our paperwork. The only problem is that, as you tidy everything up, file it and label the files, you're making everything very available to anyone who quickly wants to grab things.

I think we'll have to look at a fire resistant, lockable filing cabinet or cupboard.

seafarers_wife

gees thats horrid, i cant tell you my other hiding places, but they are a faff on for an opportune burglar to get into. would much rather he went for the easy access things like games consols, computers and tellys that are easily replaced. all the is in the loft is junk and important paperwork hidden under junk

Tropez

Mojisola wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. We have a safe which is hidden and screwed to the wall but it's not very big so we use it for passports, cash, etc.

I've started to get all our paperwork tidied up - partly in response to a death in the family and realising how difficult anyone else would find it trying to sort through our paperwork. The only problem is that, as you tidy everything up, file it and label the files, you're making everything very available to anyone who quickly wants to grab things.

I think we'll have to look at a fire resistant, lockable filing cabinet or cupboard.

Lockable filing cabinets are fantastic for documents and as many of them are disgustingly ugly, people generally store them in places where they can't be seen. They can't be moved very easily so generally they're a good choice and you can usually find decent quality ones second-hand at reasonable prices if you look around. The main thing is deciding whether you want a digital lock, a padlock (not recommended, they can be broken very easily), or a lock and key.

Tropez

seafarers_wife wrote: »

gees thats horrid, i cant tell you my other hiding places, but they are a faff on for an opportune burglar to get into. would much rather he went for the easy access things like games consols, computers and tellys that are easily replaced. all the is in the loft is junk and important paperwork hidden under junk

Hehe.

The sad thing about home security is you have to be selfish. You have to make the home of someone else look an easier target. It is kind of ruthless I admit but that's the key to it.

There are so many cheap and efficient ways of reducing your eligibility as a target. One of the most understated ways is if you have a front facing living room put up some net curtain - it won't block your light too much but prevents people from looking in during the day. Also, thorny hedges under windows, where possible - make the house look prettier but also deter burglars.

Fang_3

My parents have a safe in the study which is bolted into the wall and then hidden behind books, but even that only contains things like passports and copies of some documents - all the important stuff is kept in safety deposit boxes.

My grandparents on the other hand are utter nightmares - they don't trust banks so they have safes and lock-boxes everywhere. It's going to be a nightmare if they get Alzheimers.

seafarers_wife

Tropez wrote: »

Hehe.

The sad thing about home security is you have to be selfish. You have to make the home of someone else look an easier target. It is kind of ruthless I admit but that's the key to it.

There are so many cheap and efficient ways of reducing your eligibility as a target. One of the most understated ways is if you have a front facing living room put up some net curtain - it won't block your light too much but prevents people from looking in during the day. Also, thorny hedges under windows, where possible - make the house look prettier but also deter burglars.

i am kinda paranoid as you can probably tell i have

• an alarm set when im in the house so that if someone opens a door or window then the alarm goes off
• a baseball bat under the bed
• a spare mobile phone in the bathroom so if i was burgled and disturbed them i could baracaide myself in the bathroom and be able to phone for help even if they ripped out the downstairs house phone
• all pcs are password protected and changed regulalry.

it probably helps that my neighbours think my oh is in prison and leave us to it, but when im on my own for large parts of the year then as a single female it pays to be paranoid .

• i keep a rape alarm on my car keys and house keys and one in the car just in case
• i lock the car doors when im in the car as soon as im in it
• when on a night out i always keep some money in my bra along with a business card wiht my emergency contacts on it just in case my bag gets stolen.

my downstairs rooms i try and keep tidy and like ive said if someone is going to break in they can take the games consoles, tellys and pcs.

its a fine line though for me between being safe and secure and being so secure that it advertises a target to theives and im scared im going to cross that line one day soon as i think ive come up wiht inventive places for my valubles but it could be place one that a theif would go to look. its not so much the value of things as thats what insurance is for, but its the sentimental value of some things rather than anything else.

Tropez

seafarers_wife wrote: »

i am kinda paranoid as you can probably tell i have

• an alarm set when im in the house so that if someone opens a door or window then the alarm goes off
• a baseball bat under the bed
• a spare mobile phone in the bathroom so if i was burgled and disturbed them i could baracaide myself in the bathroom and be able to phone for help even if they ripped out the downstairs house phone
• all pcs are password protected and changed regulalry.

it probably helps that my neighbours think my oh is in prison and leave us to it, but when im on my own for large parts of the year then as a single female it pays to be paranoid .

• i keep a rape alarm on my car keys and house keys and one in the car just in case
• i lock the car doors when im in the car as soon as im in it
• when on a night out i always keep some money in my bra along with a business card wiht my emergency contacts on it just in case my bag gets stolen.

my downstairs rooms i try and keep tidy and like ive said if someone is going to break in they can take the games consoles, tellys and pcs.

its a fine line though for me between being safe and secure and being so secure that it advertises a target to theives and im scared im going to cross that line one day soon as i think ive come up wiht inventive places for my valubles but it could be place one that a theif would go to look. its not so much the value of things as thats what insurance is for, but its the sentimental value of some things rather than anything else.

Most of that is fairly reasonable and common sense.

The company I worked for before the one I currently work for specialised in high-tech security gear and all the employees got a staff discount!

I've got all sorts of nifty security gadgets and hopefully I'll never really need them but they add a sense of security. In my case, many of them can't be seen easily, therefore don't act as a deterrant but don't draw attention. I do have the standard CCTV and monitored alarm system which are the obvious ones and serve primarily as the deterrant and a few automated systems such as a timer to shut the gate at a particular time and such. And there's the practical, nuisance-to-burglar things like the hedges around the windows, night lighting and such.

Aside from keeping a safe in the living room in full view, mostly you'll be judged by the outside of your property anyway and most of your security measures appear to be inside so wouldn't scream "I've loadsa great stuff!".

I can appreciate the baseball bat as well and hope you never have to use it, especially as the government still have failed to clear up what you can and can't do to intruders. I've actually worked with several clients who gleefully announced they'd bought mace and the like from abroad, blissfully unaware that under our law things like that are actually classed as firearms! :eek: