“Security is not a product but a process” – Bruce Shnieder
A short answer to this question would be, yes, Roller shutters are safe. The preceding question would be can roller shutters be broken into? Just like any physical barriers such as a wall, they can be broken into. Does it mean you don’t need them? No, because the level of threats that a physical barrier can protect you from will significantly add to you security to a degree that it has to be mandatory to the least.
The building material of construction such as plasterboard, brick, block, non-security rated composite panels, steel cladding or shipping containers, etc., can be breached in a surprisingly short period of time. The actual success of a breach or safety of roller shutters is dependent on a number of factors such as (1) ;
- Substrate material: wooden frames, steel frames, concrete brickwork etc.
- The Attack tools: Screwdriver, Claw hammer, Crowbar, Hammer, Disc grinder etc.
- Physical Barrier product (roller shutter door).
- Duration of the attack.
Given enough time and the right tools, any physical barrier can be breached or broken through. Which is also the reason that in most more layers utilised to reduce the risk. Simply put, physical security concerns four main areas: Deterring intruders (visible roller shutters, Security gates, sectional doors, higher walls, electric fence and burglar bars etc), Detecting and Delaying attackers (CCTV, intruder detections systems etc), and Responding to an attack (police or private personnel) (2).
With much attention being placed on the role of emerging technologies such CCTV connected to your phones etc. in the fight against crime in South Africa, it is often easy to become detracted from the basics of home security. However, good physical security is the bedrock and/or foundation of an effective security solution in your house and property. Without the delay to intrusion provided by an effective physical security barrier, detection simply tells you the intruders presence and intentions. It is therefore always important to ensure suitable physical security measures are in place and that those measures provide sufficient delay to enable the intruder to be detected and a suitable response mounted in order to apprehend the intruder.
Either the barrier is roller shutter, security gate or burglar bar. It is along this train of thought and or principle that we design our physical security barriers solutions at Xpanda.
