Charl Mijnhardt from Roodepoort writes:
I am writing in response to your article “Florida targeted by gate motor thieves” dated 14 January and reported on by journalist Riaan van Zyl.
Firstly, I’d like to thank you for raising awareness regarding this growing epidemic and providing guidelines on how gate motor theft can be prevented. Naturally, as manufacturers of gate automation and access control equipment, this is something that is very close to our hearts.
We’d like to contribute to the good work you’ve done in this area, by providing the following anti-theft tips and guidelines:
Make it as difficult as possible for thieves to get into the property. One’s first line of defense against gate motor theft is to ensure that the would-be thieves can’t get into one’s property to access the motor in the first place. We’d like to emphasise the importance of electric fencing, as well as additional gate security measures such as adequate anti-lift brackets and welding a piece of flat bar onto the rack to prevent thieves from bending the rack upwards.
We recommend combining mechanical anti-theft systems, such as traditional theft-resistant cages, with electronic notification devices, for example sound bombs and GSM units which are able to send notifications to users when the device’s inputs are triggered.
Some additional anti-theft tips include:
· Position infrared safety beams so that the beam runs across the motor; combine this with the intruder-detection alarms native to many Centurion gate motors to sound an alarm when the beam is broken
· Place a siren inside the motor enclosure, wire the siren back to the house and place it on the 24 hour zone. Many new alarm systems even offer wireless modules
· Make use of a good quality lock to secure the motor’s theft-resistant cage. Discus padlocks are not recommended; preferably opt for an insurance-rated padlock
I hope this adds value.
