Is it time to make home security measures compulsory?

THREATS to home security are at an all-time high due to the spate of burglaries across the county in the first quarter of 2017. Every week the Garda are inundated with residents and businesses reporting break-ins, and while we can’t discourage the criminals, we can sure as hell make their trade a little harder.

Homeowners should leave nothing to chance when it comes to security in the home and property. Breakins and property related crime is very stressful for the victim which is why greater preventive measures are needed to ensure peace of mind. So much money is spent nowadays on interior design, furnishings and landscaping – which is all fine except the question now is: do alarms and sensor lighting systems need to be made compulsory in all properties?

It appears only those who can afford it have home security systems fitted but this precludes a much larger percentage of the population. It is well over a decade now since all new builds were required to have smoke alarms connected to the property’s main electrical supply line so as to eliminate the dangers of the not replacing batteries. So, shouldn’t it be binding by law to have home security systems fitted given the current climate? This deserves serious consideration.

By putting a grant in place for property owners to avail of home security systems, the government would be sending out a strong message to criminals that it’s taking the plague of burglaries seriously. It’s only natural for people when buying a property to set their minds on all the nice things that come with moving into a new home. We know that home owners shouldn’t have to worry about making security systems a priority when starting out, but regrettably the reality suggests otherwise.

Perhaps a new government led scheme to have every home fitted with alarms and security lighting would help stem the tide of property theft. It won’t ever eliminate the problem but it just might succeed in limiting it, while also giving peace of mind to thousands of homeowners.