Crime Prevention Products Advises Public to Take Personal Safety Seriously
UK Crime Statistics for April 2009 relating to the present are frightening - there are over 700,000 attacks on people by strangers every year in the UK. For this reason leading security providers such as Crime Prevention Products strongly advise people to invest in affordable personal safety alarms, which will raise an alert that can't be ignored.
Personal Safety Alarms can make all the difference when it comes to safety - sometimes a split second of distraction allows the potential victim of an attacker to make their escape. This type of prevention method is one of the most cost-effective ways to take responsibility for personal security when out and about.
While the concept of personal alarms originated as a protective measure against sexual assault (hence the term 'rape alarm'), they are highly useful to both males and females who, through their work or social life, could find themselves isolated in potentially dangerous situations.
An easily carried personal safety alarm produces an ear-piercing sound that shocks and disorientates an attacker. Most experts agree that a sound of at least 130 decibels is required to have this effect - loud enough for the alarm to be heard up to half a mile away.
There is currently a wide variety of options for customers when shopping for a personal safety alarm. The correct choice depends on the individual's personal circumstances; however there are two main categories - battery and gas powered alarms.
Their main distinguishing features are that:
- While the decibel volume produced can be similar in both types, the pressure in gas alarm canisters produces a constant shriek that is more ear-piercing than the pulsating siren made by most battery alarms.
- Gas alarms provide between 3 and 6 minutes of continuous sound for standard canister models. Battery alarms can be set off for longer periods over many months before replacement batteries are required.
- Battery-powered personal alarms tend to be smaller (in some cases less than 5cm square), and are often in the form of key rings or fobs. Most gas alarms however are cylindrical, and typically around 10cm in height. There are exceptions, such as a miniature key ring gas alarm (which shocks attackers with a 138 decibel blast).
- Most battery alarms are set off by pulling a pin out with a chain or cord. Gas alarms however tend to have a button that locks down when pushed - this means it can be set off by pushing the alarm against any part of the body (or anything relatively solid). This can save valuable seconds, particularly for people with dexterity problems for example.
Both battery and gas alarms are comparable in price, with most best selling products falling in the £5 - £11 range. At the lower end of this range you'll get a product with a simple powerful alarm function. Beyond this, the alarms incorporate additional features suited to their power source. For battery alarms this can include torches, or strobe lighting to further distract an assailant. Gas alarms can combine their formidable sound with a repelling odour spray, and an ultraviolet tracer that leaves no visible stain - until detected by a police UV scanner.
Terry Rattee, owner of Crime Prevention Products, concludes, 'As a trusted security provider we try to offer our customers the personal safety alarm that fits their exact needs. It's important for customers to understand the individual situations they may find themselves in. Since this type of security is very affordable, we advise people to keep themselves safeguarded.'