Security Grills vs Security alarms

Venu

Hi ,
I am planning to install security grills for my new house as there was a burglary few houses away from my house. I started to panic and is looking for a solution. I could understand that one of the way to to get away with this is either going for a security alarm or security grills ( burglary grills) . With security grills it is coming to 1500£ and where as with security alarms it 25-35 £ / month + installation and equipment costs (this depends on negotiations with the sale guys ) . Some of the prons and cons are as follows
Security Grills pros :
- Additional security layer .
- One time money
- More peace of mind
Cons :
- Disturbs the look of the house as mine is brand new.
- 1500£ is a lot
- Cleaning also becomes difficult

Security Alarms pros :
- Look of house is not disturbed
- Features like 'panic button' or 'personal assistant' looks more promising
-Small money to start with

Cons:
-Monthly charges
- Don't feel more secured as grills ( atleast I am )

I just want second opinion on my thoughts. Please suggest me.

pogofish

This is the Praise Vent and Warnings Forum!

You might get some sensible answers if you posted in a more appropriate Home or Tech forum.

RuthnJasper

I'm personally not in favour of grills. A few years ago two girls died in a house fire in London as they were trapped and unable to get out through the windows because of the security grills. It's a bit of an extreme situation, but an important one nevertheless.

Best of luck, anyway.

Gigervamp

Apart from the safety aspect that RuthnJasper mentioned, you might also consider the effect they might have when you come to sell your house.

Having security grills makes one think that the area is so bad that you need security grills.

They also look horrible.

hollydays

Get the crime prevention people in from the police and get their advice.
They may be able to give you some reassurance.

SailorSam

I've got security grills on my garage but don't think i'd like them on the house. Although i do see the advange of them.
We went to view a house, years ago now. Lovely house; detached all it's own and backing onto woods, even had stables and it wasn't expensive. But when we went into the back kitchen there was a wrought iron grill over the window. I asked 'have you had trouble with break-ins' And they said "Oh i don't know"
Did they think, 'oh i don't know' was better than saying yes.
We didn't buy.
I have got an alarm here and although i think of it as a benefit, it's probably true that they're often ignored if they're ringing out.

AnnieO1234

If I drove past a home that stuck out as having security grills I would wonder what on earth they had in it of value to merit the same and I wonder if you would inadvertently place a target on your home? Xxx

Johno100

OP, have you considered internal rather than external grilles?

You can get retractable concertina grilles that you can have open when you want, are less obvious from the outside, will allow you to clean your windows and won't fall foul of any planning or restrictive covenant issues.

Also if you are looking at saving money, then perhaps only have grilles on the ground floor?

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

BoP lives in double faced detached, but next door and others are bigger. They are going to be nicked first. Also, as a cul de sac, I doubt the tea leaf would venture this far! No alarm, and no grills.

Or look here

http://content.met.police.uk/Site/crimepreventionbumblebee

paddyrg

Start a cactus collection in your windows, make it large and visible. It's a pretty good deterrent. Remember, you don't need absolute security, just not to be the lowest handing fruit in the area.