Near half (47 per cent) of Britain’s homes will be left empty and unguarded for anywhere between one and nine nights this Christmas; according to an online insurance company.
With such a high portion of properties being left empty and vulnerable to attack, Confused.com has teamed up with inventor Ian Burgess to create a home security system, with a difference. The ‘Festive Garden Guardian’ might look like your average garden gnome, but this gnome raises the alarm for any unwanted intruders
Hidden behind the unassuming exterior is an adapted off the shelf network wireless security camera with day and night motion sensors that can detect when someone comes within five metres of it.
The inner workings of the Garden Guardian:
•Hidden in it is a camera connected to a router
•A motion sensor is hooked up to trigger the camera when an intruder gets too close for comfort
•Once triggered, the camera takes a series of photos at 30 frames per minute
•These photos are then sent as an alert to a pre-determined email address, and because the device is connected to the internet, the home owner can also log on to the camera remotely on a laptop or smartphone to monitor what’s happening at their home
•A specific piece of software can also be downloaded which converts the email alert into a standard message (SMS) or a picture message (MMS) and sent directly to a mobile phone
The creator of the Garden Guardian, Ian Burgess, of Setwo Limited has had a number of friends that have been burgled and has seen the effect it can have on a person’s sense of security which inspired him to create the gnome. He said: “Having your home burgled is a horrible experience. Having your home broken into, and knowing someone’s taken your things can really unsettle you. That’s why I wanted to create the Festive Garden Guardians – so that I can help protect people from having the same thing happen to them.”
And the reality is that Britain does need help in keeping its homes safe and secure, according to the insurer. Half of Brits confess to having no home security set up, and yet nearly a quarter (22pc) will leave their homes empty for between three and nine nights while visiting family and friends over the festive period.
In fact, more than one in ten (14pc) UK homes are left unguarded everyday, and yet leaving our homes unguarded for extended periods is a major concern that plays on the minds of Brits during the holiday season.
Two in five (44pc) Brits worry about their house being broken into while they’re not there with three quarters (76pc) admitting that having someone keeping an eye on their house while they were away would make them feel more assured.
Research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) suggests that Christmas crime has risen consistently since 2009. What’s more is that over two fifths (44pc) of Britons now recognise December as the month when their homes are most at risk, a seasonal concern supported by ONS figures which show that the number of burglaries rose from summer (July-September) to Autumn (October-December) 2011, with an increase of 4,000 reported burglaries. Depending on public demand, Confused.com will look to roll the Garden Guardians out as a full scale product line in 2013.
Gareth Kloet, Head of home insurance at Confused.com, says: “The holidays are a time for relaxing, but our research shows that Britain’s homes are alarmingly unprotected against intruders. Nearly half of Brits worry about having their homes broken into while they’re not there, so we wanted to give homeowners the means to protect their properties so they can really relax while they’re off seeing friends and family this Christmas.”
“To do this, we’ve looked at what makes Brits feel safest, and that’s led us to the design of the Festive Garden Guardian. Motion sensors and CCTV are two of the most popular choices for home security because they are physical obstacles that help prevent break-ins by deterring buglars. The Garden Guardian is a more subtle form of home security and is designed to help prevent burglaries by alerting homeowners that an intruder is on their property in real time. The Garden Guardian’s SMS/MMS alerts allow homeowners to raise the alarm by calling the police or phoning a neighbour and helping to prevent a burglary that way.”
