Tip 2: Locks
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. So all of your exterior doors, except your sliding glass doors, should be equipped with a sturdy, high quality, dead bolt lock.
If you have glass within the door or glass surrounding the door, then you should also consider having a double sided, keyed deadbolt lock, so that when engaged, it only allows you to enter from the outside with a key. Because the interior side of the lock is keyed as well, it means that if you’re not home and a thief breaks a window, he’ll be unable to unable to open a door by turning its interior thumbscrew.
When you are home, you can insert a key that looks similar to a thumbscrew, so that you are able to lock and unlock the door easily. While these are a great security measure, keep in mind that you should always keep the thumbscrew key close to the door, so that if a fire breaks out, you’ll be able to unlock the door and exit the premises easily and safely.
Choosing a deadbolt
1. Check the throw on the deadbolt: it should be at least 1-1/2 inches long.
2. Make sure that the part of the deadbolt lock that sits up on the outside of the door is angled, so that a thief is unable to put a pipe wrench on it and twist it off.
3. Ensure that the throw goes into a full socket and not just a cover plate on the doorframe. In other words, the throw should not touch any of the wood in your doorframe. Instead, it should be completely protected by the socket. This provides added strength.
4. The socket (or the piece that the throw goes into) should be attached by screws that are long enough to go into the studs on the other side of the doorframe. Short screws will simply not be strong enough to withstand the force that may be applied during a kick-in. A safe bet for a screw length is 3” or more.
Checking old locks
Many older homes still have spring-loaded door locks, which either have a little button on the back of the handle or a thumbscrew on the back of the handle. When turned from the inside, the door becomes unlocked. These door locks may be ok if used in conjunction with a proper door, a strong doorframe and a good quality deadbolt lock, but they are insufficient by themselves. In most cases, a credit card or a screwdriver pushed in between the door and the doorframe are enough to push the angled throw into the door and unlock the lock, and if that doesn’t work, a kick-in will.
Avoiding lock sabotage
A thief can take a small ball of paper and push it into the deadbolt lock socket in the doorframe. The person locking up does not notice it, and they lock the door and leave. The thief then comes back later, inserts a screwdriver between the door and the doorframe, and is able to push the deadbolt throw back into the door. Here are four ways to avoid this problem:
1. Check the socket on the deadbolt before locking the door.
2. Have a good fitting door and frame, so that a screwdriver cannot be inserted.
3. Always ensure that the bolt is fully extended into the lock position before pulling the key out.
4. Buy a deadbolt that will not allow you to remove the key until it is in the “lock” or “unlock” position.
Security system design and consulting
In order to design the most effective security system, we first determine your goals and needs. Then we present a customized set of options, costs and specific strategies for a supported, well maintained system. And after sign-off, we do extensive testing and training.
Paladin works in thorough ways. We provide turnkey solutions, take a holistic approach, work in partnership with you throughout, and even train your staff to make sure every part of the security systems strategy is effectively implemented.
Customized security officers
We know from our experience that providing the best security is about having the right people for the specific job and environment. At Paladin, we don’t believe a guard is a guard, but practice strategic staffing, where we determine the specific mix of skills and attributes needed for the each position.
We invest considerable time and resources into recruiting right. Superior people want to work with a superior company — one that cares about quality, treats their people well and offers personal growth and advancement — so we are fortunate to receive many applications. We then use our stringent hiring to processes filter out the most ideal candidates, which is approximately one successful new hire out of twenty applications.
Training is what differentiates us, and it’s why we lead the industry. Once we have the right candidates on board, we start by conducting extensive pre-employment training and certification for each new staff member, which surpasses all legislative and regulatory requirements and standards across the country. Each Paladin security officer then undergoes pre-assignment training and site training unique to each position and its respective industry. In total, we provide 35 different courses through our University of Paladin, including ongoing training.
To ensure our people continue to perform above expectations, we have a multi-faceted field management model and provide various employee support programs.
GPS-enabled mobile patrols
We have the largest mobile emergency response fleet in the industry, with trained, licensed and bonded emergency response officers. Our mobile patrols can keep any type of building and premises safe. Our personnel can perform fixed-time and or random checks to look for unusual activities or problems, which can keep you and your property secure; in one patrol of high-rise under construction, we discovered a leaking pipe, which saved the client hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Access control systems
We provide access and intrusion detection systems that offer the best protection. Only Paladin offers complete, end-to-end service: we design, implement, install and service our systems, which means more efficiency, security and convenience for you.
Card systems are more cost effective than traditional locking systems. Most businesses recognize the costs of re-keying, for example, but with a card, a client can simply cancel an individual user. In addition, our access control systems can provide detailed information for workforce time management.
We can maintain your access system remotely, including adding and deleting users, controlling lock and unlock times, backing-up the database and performing system diagnostics. This eliminates the need for on-site computer staff to maintain your system.
24/7 security system monitoring and response
Paladin has the most state-of-the-art technology and advanced central monitoring stations in the country, with multiple back up systems in place. Unlike other security companies that contract out to a third party, we operate our own alarm and remote video monitoring stations across Canada. That means you benefit from a faster response to all of your alarm signals. Our stations meet and exceed the highest industry standards through our ULC AA listing and our CSAA 5 Diamond certification.
Temperature control monitoring
We install and monitor the most effective temperature control systems for protection against freezing pipes or over-heated server rooms.