Modern burglars keep an eye on commodity prices and scrap metal values.
Lead is now one of the prime pickings – the rocketing price of lead, up by 40pc in 2008 to a new high of $2220 per tonne, means that thieves are now targeting buildings up and down the country with scrap lead worth as much as £1000 per tonne.
Thieves stole lead from roofs of churches 44 times per week in 2007 and churches submitted insurance claims worth £8.5m, up from just £1 million the previous year. And it’s not just churches that are vulnerable; railway buildings, schools, stately homes and even residential properties are at risk. Traditional security measures are not really suitable for this type of application because standard external detectors on roofed areas will false alarm in the presence of seagulls, pigeons and other wildlife and the cost of installing a conventional cable-linked alarm system, especially given the large roof areas that might have to be covered, can be prohibitively expensive.
Wireless security specialists Tag Guard offer a purpose-designed security system developed to combat lead crime. A detection cable is secured to leaded areas with a weather resistant, externally rated adhesive. Each zone typically between 50 and 100m in length terminates in a small wireless transmitter that sends its signals to a base station installed inside the church or any other building to be protected. Should any part of the cable be tampered with, which would occur if a thief attempted to remove the lead, it would activate the TagAlarm system inside the building. Tag Guard’s own central monitoring station, which is manned 24-hours, monitors all alarm activity within seconds. There an operator can see from the computer screen the location of the building and even the exact area on the roof which is being attacked.
On receipt of the alarm the action usually taken by Tag Guard is to notify a private security firm to investigate urgently, as they tend to respond more quickly than the police. If a crime is verified police may be asked to respond and make the arrest, which has happened several times in recent weeks. The system can only be activated when the detection cable is physically disturbed and therefore will not false alarm. The entire system is wireless based therefore it does not need a telephone line or any other hard wired external communication. This also makes it relatively easy and quick to install.
Tag Guard say each system is unique to the building so they will carry out a survey and then produce a specification with quotation. Long term contracts including full maintenance and support for the system are normal, providing the most effective and affordable means of combating this crime wave.
