SecurityWise

Preventing crime… it’s like a game of whack a mole

Lee Wallace of TH March advises that installing the most secure glazing in your store is one way of beating the mole.

Upgrading security can be a frustrating business. No sooner has a mole been whacked (one area of security been improved), than another mole pops up (another area of vulnerability exploited by the criminals).

This means constantly anticipating the mole’s next move and being prepared for when it appears.

An area often overlooked

A regularly overlooked area – until after an event – is window and display-case glazing. It’s often left until there’s a smash and grab, a shop refit or other damage to glazing for the glass to be upgraded. Glazing includes regular plate glass, toughened glass and laminated glass. It’s not always easy to decide which is right for the safety and security of your business. Plate Glass

Plate glass is a single sheet of glass. It can break extremely easily, leaving large, sharp glass either stuck in the frame or knocked out. As it is both insecure and dangerous, avoid using it in display windows or cases.

Toughened Glass

Also known as tempered glass, toughened glass is up to five times stronger than plate glass. It is made by heating regular glass to 650°C then cooling it very quickly. Not only does this treatment make the glass stronger, it is also safer. When it breaks, thousands of blunter, small pieces, greatly reduce the risk of injury.

Although safer, toughened glass is not very secure – despite its strength, it is still relatively easy to smash with a sledgehammer or axe, and when it does break it, the whole pane breaks. Ideally, only use this glass to display low-value items.

Laminated Glass

Here, things start to get a bit complicated. There are several types of laminated glass, all of which give a different level of security protection. Laminated glass is made of an interlayer, usually plastic polyvinyl butyral (PVB), between two sheets of either toughened or plate glass.

Laminated Safety Glass

Laminated safety glass gives enhanced safety, but it offers only limited additional security protection. It usually has a PVB interlayer of 0.8mm in thickness, designed to hold the glass together when broken. It is available in several thicknesses, 6.8mm, 8.8mm and 10.8mm or above.

The plastic interlayer holds the broken pieces in place, making it safer, and it provides a little more security than toughened glass: 6.8mm laminated safety glass is more secure than 10mm or higher toughened glass. If a sledgehammer hits toughened glass, the whole pane will disintegrate into thousands of pieces, giving free access to items behind. The same hammer will only make smaller holes in laminated safety glass.

Laminated Security Glass

Sometimes called anti-bandit glass, this is the most common type of security glazing used by retail jewellers. The difference between laminated security and laminated safety glass is that, unlike the 0.8mm of PVB interlayer safety glass, laminated security glass typically has 1.5mm of PVB interlayer.

The 1.5mm plastic interlayer gives enhanced protection, so it takes many more blows from a hammer or axe to penetrate the glass. However, it can still be breached in a relatively short space of time. Due to the thicker interlayer, 7.5mm laminated security glass is significantly stronger than 8.8mm or even 10.8mm laminated safety glass.

While this glass offers enhanced security protection, do not display very high-value jewellery behind it. Valuable or attractive single items, such as luxury watches, are easy for a criminal to grab by just making a small hole in the glass.

Laminated glass with polycarbonate interlayer (PolyC) is significantly stronger than that with just a PVB interlayer in. It is almost impenetrable by a sledgehammer or even a fire axe. Therefore, this is the best type of glass for very high-value window displays and target goods, such as prestige watches.

Don’t wait for the mole

Plan to improve your main shop window display with appropriate glass and as much of your property as possible. Upgrading the main window will prevent the mole from striking there, but they are just as likely to venture inside the shop to attack vulnerable windows, back doors and internal show cases, which are often only glazed with toughened glass.