Lately you may have media coverage of a new sort of security protection that’s becoming more and more widespread in Australia and around the world – real-time video monitoring.

Video monitoring goes one step beyond a back-to-base monitored alarm by transmitting live video< of your premises whenever an intruder is detected.

A segment on Channel 7′s Today Tonight earlier this year showed real footage of home invasions taking place, invasions that were interrupted by police who had been called as a result of real-time video monitoring.

We are now able to offer a comprehensive range of video monitoring products to our home and business customers. If you have any questions about real-time video monitoring, get in touch – we’d be more than happy to tell you more and help tailor a solution to your requirements. Call us on (08) 8443 9877.

We recently made the decision to bring retire our Cougar Security brand and bring all our customers together under the Chief Security umbrella. It wasn’t an easy decision – it’s hard to let go of a brand that we have built over the past four years – but it’s really just an administrative change to eliminate duplicate work and tidy up “loose ends” in the office. Services and service levels will remain unchanged – business as usual!

If Cougar Security stickers and signs feature at your home or business premises please let us know and we will provide you with Chief Security replacements! If you require Chief Security stickers just drop us a line by email or by calling the office on (08) 8443 9877 and we’ll send some out in the post. If you have larger signs that need replacement, let us know and we’ll book a service call to come out to your premises.

The weather’s getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and any moment now it will be the end of daylight saving time.

Did you know house fires are more common in winter months, when people are using fires, heaters and other electrical equipment?

For South Australians the end of daylight saving on Sunday 3 April is the perfect time to install a fresh battery in each home smoke detector!

Make sure that smoke alarms are functioning correctly by pressing the test button once a month. Smoke alarms should also be vacuumed regularly – at a minimum once a year – to clean the vents.

So what are you waiting for? Get those fresh batteries ready!

This past year it has been a great source of pleasure and pride for Chief Security to support the Adelaide Uni Soccer Club U15 Girls squads as they put in a huge year.

In recognition of their strength the 15A team was promoted to the 17As and came second in that division as well as winning the Under-15 cup.

The 15B team held held on to 2nd spot on the table for most of the year and ended up in 4th spot on the league table – making the quarter finals of the cup and beating two 15A teams along the way.

A combined U15 team were also runners up at the Gold Coast Cup – a huge achievement!

We are thrilled to be associated with such fine young people and with such a great club. Seeing them run out bearing the Chief Security logo was a source of great pride for us all here and we look forward to cheering the girls to many future wins!

For a more detailed retrospective of 2010 for the AUSC U15 Girls, visit the AUSC Blacks website.

– Mark

Here’s a bit of advice I’ve offered before – but it’s more timely than ever as “the day of presents” approaches:

Here’s something that many people don’t consider: that big new TV comes in a big-new-TV box. And what do you do with that box? Why, you stick it out the front of the house to be picked up on rubbish day.

That big-new-TV box at the side of the road is a big sign saying “house worth burgling here”. Do yourself and your home a favour and dispose of new appliance boxes carefully. Chop them up into smaller pieces so they will fit in the wheelie bin. I know some people who take their new appliance boxes to work and place them in the recycling bin at the office! Dispose of your appliance boxes carefully and you’ll make yourself less of an attractive target for burglary.

Don’t make yourself a target – and have a very Merry Christmas too, of course!

– Denise

The WCH Foundation is the official charity of the Women’s & Children’s Hospital in Adelaide. The WCH Foundation exists to help the hospital provide world class care and facilities to the thousands of women, babies and young people who are treated there every year.

The WCH Foundation Charity Home is luxurious three-bedroom house situated on a landscaped elevated block in the lifestyle estate of The Marina Hindmarsh Island. It will be auctioned at 11:00 am on Saturday, February 26, unless sold prior, with all proceeds from the sale going to support the vital work of the Foundation, and the lucky purchaser will take possession of a dream home with the added knowledge that they have supported a very worthy cause.

The home was built and donated by Systembuilt Homes, on land donated by The Marina Hindmarsh Island, and it is protected by a monitored security alarm system donated by Chief Security.

We’re thrilled to be able to support the WCH Foundation – when we became aware of the Charity Home project through social networking we didn’t hesitate to offer our assistance.

Click here for the house’s auction details. For more information on the WCH Foundation and on its work, visit www.wchfoundation.org.au.

It’s that time of year again – thoughts turn to relaxation, time with the family, maybe a little getaway. Here are some handy hints we’ve posted before on keeping yourself and your home safe if you’re heading away on holiday.

The most important thing is to make sure your after-hours contact details are up-to-date with your monitoring company. If you’re going to be out of town or uncontactable, call us before you leave and nominate an alternate contact to receive calls if your alarm is triggered (and of course let that person know you have nominated him or her as our contact while you’re away!)

Burglars often scan streets for houses that are conspicuously dark in the evenings – no interior lights at dinner time means nobody’s home, and no interior lights at dinner time for a week means nobody’s coming home for a while. One thing you can do to give yourself peace of mind is to place some of your interior lights on timers so that they come on automatically while you’re away. Such timers are inexpensive and can be found at any good hardware store. If possible, get some adjustable timers so that the lights can be preset to come on at slightly different times each night, avoiding the appearance of being automated.

If you’re away for an extended time, make sure your paper mail is redirected, held at the Post Office, or can be cleared by a friend or neighbour. Nothing says “nobody’s home” like a mailbox overflowing with unread mail. If you have a friend or neighbour able to check for you, get them to keep your driveway or front area clear of local newspapers – they too make absence look obvious when they pile up – and if you go away on the day your rubbish and recycling are collected, try and arrange to have someone move your empty bins from the kerb. Empty rubbish bins sitting outside for a week are yet another dead giveaway that the house is unattended.

Stay safe!

– Mark

Why CCTV? Well, first of all we’d better ask “what is CCTV?”

Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) are used to monitor
and record images of what takes place in specific locations
in real time. The images collected are sent to a monitor and
recorded on video tape or as digital information. The cameras
can be fixed or set to scan an area or they can be operated
by controllers. Monitors can be watched by controllers or left
unmonitored. The recorded information can be stored and/or
reviewed by those who have access to the recordings at their
convenience.

CCTV is growing ever more popular among homeowners and businesses alike as CCTV allows property owners to monitor property for break ins, enabling quicker response; it deters potential criminals, reducing crime; and it provides valuable evidence for police.
The Australian Government Institute of Criminology notes “CCTV provides police with the opportunity to view offences and identify offenders. Evidence from CCTV can be used in court and can therefore have a deterrent effect“.

Chief Security has CCTV applications that suit businesses both large and small. Our solutions are easy-to-use and tailored to your home or business requirements, enabling you to monitor your home or office 24/7 – even from your phone! For more information on how we can design a CCTV solution for your needs contact us on (08) 8443 9877 today!

BankSA Crimestoppers is running a home security awareness campaign on radio and Channel 9 television in the lead up to Christmas, highlighting home security, particularly when away on holidays.

That’s our kind of message!

The campaign features commonsense tips such as

• Don’t leave expensive items where they can be seen through windows
• Keep trees and bushes around your house trimmed to avoid them being used as hiding places
• Install and activate an alarm system

Do yourself a favour and download the BankSA Crimestoppers Home Security Booklet today. The advice contained within may make the difference between having a relaxing holiday with peace of mind and becoming a home-invasion statistic.

– Mark

People are comfortable sharing all kinds of personal details on Internet sites such as Twitter and  Facebook.

And now people are flocking to location-based web services that let them use their mobile phones to alert friends to where they are.

The thing is, that’s dangerous!

Location-based services are all the rage on phones these days. Services like Foursquare are a quick and easy way of updating your friends and contacts on your real-world location, which can be great if you’re trying to meet up with friends or see who in your social circle is nearby.

But one thing many people are forgetting about is that such services are also telling the world where you’re not. Like your home. And it really is telling the world – that information is freely available to anyone.

Don’t believe us? Check out Please Rob Me for a real-time searchable database of people who are not at home.

So please, be careful with location-based social networking. Every time you tell the world you’re at lunch in the city or that you’ve just walked into that cool new bar, you’re telling every burglar in the world with a computer that you’re not at home.

One more reason to make sure that you have a monitored security system!

Stay safe,

Mark