Solid Security vs Stealth Sneaky

[Scythe13]

I have been thinking about this recently and it's very hard to decide on what would be the best course of action.

It's simple enough, but a very fine line game.

The thought is what's going to be the best route to maximise safety at a location?

The two dominant systems are a solid security system, think castles and prisons, maximum security, but very clear and visible. There's clearly something being protected by the structure. So you are very overt, but should be very secure too....in theory.

The second system is a much more stealth sneaky system. The idea here is to keep a low profile and be overlooked, if not completely hidden. Although you are covert and unseen, if you are found, you will not have the solid structure to keep you safe from attack.

So the game continues to play out. Which do you aim for, or which should you lean towards?

Let's just look at SitX, and not neccessarily a SHTF or EOTWAWKI situation. We'll just take a general security situation, let's say it's a power shortage for...well, we don't know how long for. We don't know if it's TEOTWAWKI or if it's a 1 week shortage and we're on day 6 of it? Because that's the kind of situation we'll be facing in reality.

So, clearly you'll want to have some solid construction in the house and garden to keep you safe. Things like reinforced fence posts, solid locks on the gates, things like that. The same with the front door and with the windows. You'll want them as strong as possible with as solid locks as possible too.

Having a working security system would be very helpful too. Alarms and the alike. However, some houses that host CCTV could look like they're broadcasting high security and actually attract more attention than initially desired.

Let's say that you live in a Flat, Terrace or Semi (the majority of UK properties). If you're the only one on the street or in the building, with CCTV, people will be suspicious and you'll become a target. Don't forget, if it's power down people will assume you're more vulnerable. So for these kinds of things, it makes sense to go overt and stealth.

For example, if you have a porch, it might be wise to have a camera hidden in there, or to even set a small camera up, inplace of that peep hole in the front door. Also, the overhang of the roof, if you have a small enough grid on there, that's super close to the camera, that can work like a 1 way mirror, where you can see out through the camera, but people can only see the grid and not the camera hidden behind it. This is also true with garden furniture and fixtures. A bird box could be easy enough to hide a security camera in. Poor birds. You could probably convert the bird box into a bat box, and use the camera's lense to look like the hole in a bird box....if you're feeling more eco friendly.

The same with window shutters. If you have ornamental ones, you could very easily get heavy duty metal ones, and get them looking all pretty, like ornamental ones. Doors and the alike, although they may look pretty, can be reinforced steel, as long as you have a strong enough brackets, hinges and wall brace.

It's a hard question to answer.

The same issues are apparent when considering a BOL. Does higher security systems, e.g. walls, gates, and the alike, become a hinderance after a certain point? If so, is it possible to be overt and still host a good security system?

Drug dealers in many countries use razor blades on bits of string dangling down from plants, at around eye level, so catch passers by. Planks of wood with nails facing up and covered in leaves, also a system put into place. Trip wires made of razor wire, or thin wires with barbed fish hooks tied to them, have been employed. These systems are a major problem to navigate, and can clearly be used to our advantage. It seems that fishing kit could be a double purpose system. However, would the traps give away your position? Could you use them to notify your location of the direction of travel or the movement of those coming towards you? What kind of distance would you need to be warned from, in order to make a safe getaway?

Could you afford the loss of the gear you were using for security?

The thoughts are many and huge!

Some opinions and ideas on this would be very helpful.

[Sunna]

if you are not worried about being seen or makeing lots of noise, ie when the shtf ect.
if theirs no police force comming to get you , you just take you time big lock....bigger hammer , reinforced door .... bigger hammer .

most house security , banks on you not wanting to be seen or makeing noise,the average british house only needs a big stone and your in.

[Devonian]

Personally I feel the covert rather than overt route is best, it all goes back to the Grey Man principle. But even so, as you have already alluded to, you can still do a lot to your property to help secure and strengthen it against intrusions.

Conversely the overt solid security style, will attract unwanted attention and no matter how high and solid your fences and walls are, if someone drives a vehicle through them, they will give way and you will have a big hole in your defences. Also people may decide to attack you and drive you out, and the weapon of choice would probably be fire, again in this situation there is not a lot you can do to stop it.

So keeping a low profile and adopting as many different ideas as possible to covertly strengthen your property has to be the order of the day.

[Midnitemo]

I have already considered this and have a plan to take over a very secure building in my neighborhood currently operated by one of the utilities , it has a high degree of external security flat roofed not overlooked no ground floor windows only two access points on the ground floor very sturdily built and only 250m from my primary bug in, the difficult bit is timing,knowing when the utility company will have no further need of it, I have wandered in twice whilst the gates were left open to recce it and I like what I've seen so far,managed to get in the building for a quick peek on one visit

[Lightspeed]

Good thread Scythe

Security is indeed a dilemma. Too much and it signals that there is something inside worth protecting. Too little invites curious access to see if there’s anything of value to be had.

There have been plenty of threads recently about active security. Dogs, guns, cross bows.

Considering passive security, in the here and now technical security in the form of alarms and CCTV etc can be very effective. The secret is to make your home less attractive to burglars than your neighbours, encouraging burglars to pick on easier targets.
Steel bars on windows, security shutters etc need careful consideration, needing to blend in with other properties in the neighbourhood, otherwise they will look very fortress-like and have the opposite effect to what was intended.

Post SitX, hard wired Alarm systems, with suitable off-grid power supplies provide continued perimeter monitoring. If triggers are zoned, such a system will also alert to whereabouts of intruders within the property. Audible alarm bell boxes can be sounded or disabled as required. CCTV, also running from off-grid power, with hidden cameras at strategic locations is a force multiplier, allowing central monitoring by a single person of multiple Observation Positions. IR capable cameras covert IR light sources, will allow night vision monitoring.

[Steve]

A very effective barrier can be made from common garden plants, I posted a list before. A thorny hedge doesn't attract as much attention as barbed wire, but of course you could paint some barbed wire a dark colour and grow your hedge around it, belt-and-braces. Gooseberries are particularly vicious and a good source of vitamin C too, Pyracanthia is attractive and impenetrable, some rose varieties grow tall, strong, thorny stems and can supply sugars from rosehips.

[Sunna]

the plant idea is very good, if your property has barbed wire or razor wire if some tealeaf hurts themself you could end up in court.
plus i take cuttings from bushes for free , its eazy.

[Steve]

Glad you like it Sunna. Roses are very variable, so make sure you get a look at a mature specimen before planting them. I have one particular bush that has the most amazing thorns, sadly it was there when I moved into the house so I have no idea of the variety, but I'll happily take some cuttings if you're interested, I think winter is the best time.

I'll try to get a photo up later.

---

I just checked, and apparently late summer is a good time to take cuttings.

[Mortblanc]

In the post event world all of you seem to crave there will be no structure that goes unsearched, no matter how "worthless" it appears.

Every nook and cranny on your island will be poked and prodded and every drawer in every dresser dumped for any possible usable item.

Every basement and attic and every room in between will be explored, and when they get to your place??

Well good luck with that "gray man" thing.

[bigpaul]

maybe in the cities but in the countryside? they've got to find it first, some places are really hard to find and they aren't all on the map.