Is a security shutter ever completely intruder proof?

With insurance premiums seemingly forever on the increase, business owners and tenants of commercial buildings are naturally keen to ensure their premises are protected at all times. Amongst the popular ways to achieve this is by installing a physical barrier such as a steel roller shutter.

However, it may not yet be widely understood that there are many different kinds of roller shutter, including different ways of manufacturing and installing them, that affect the overall level of security protection they offer.

Perhaps we should start by pointing out that no shutter is one hundred percent intruder-proof if the would-be intruder has enough time and privacy to work undetected. Give a criminal an hour alone with an angle grinder, and not even a brick wall will prevent a break-in.

However, what you are getting with a high-spec security shutter is a heavy deterrent. Forcing the criminal to spend time and effort defeating your physical security measures is a good way.

You could look at it like this: the more basic your physical barrier, the less crime you’ll prevent. Let’s consider three approaches to safeguarding your premises with shutters

Three levels of shutter security

1. A non-costly option such as a basic steel roller shutter

This type of shutter offers a robust defence against attack by an uninformed criminal. Because the construction of the shutter is essentially steel profiles slid together, it does have some weak points. However, it will deter casual attacks and low-level crime sprees.

2. Enhanced security: shutter plus locking devices

You can easily increase the level of physical protection offered by the steel roller shutter by choosing one with locking devices built-in. This helps to prevent weak points from being breached and ensures you are relying on the full physical strength of the shutter. The best kind of locking devices are those that are tightly integrated into the roller shutter’s overall construction.

3. Top security: a high-spec shutter in chorus with other systems

Even with the highest spec shutter, a criminal with an hour or more to spend uninterrupted on a break-in can get through almost any physical barrier. If they are allowed to work with an angle grinder they may even find their way through a concrete wall. Therefore, for the maximum deterrent, use a full-spec roller shutter in a system involving remote monitoring (such as CCTV or night vision cameras) and alarms. Triggering other measures will deny them the time they need and give your premises the highest possible chance of surviving a criminal attack.