Homeowners often install a fence around their property for security without giving it much thought. Unfortunately, not all fences are equal in terms of making it difficult for burglars to get into your property and having the time to steal what they want.
There are a number of criteria you should look at when deciding which fence would provide you with the most protection against burglars. These include:
- Can’t be bypassed easily
- Is difficult to climb over
- Doesn’t provide a place to hide
Can’t be bypassed easily
A security fence will not help much if it is easy for a burglar to cut through it, go under it or around it. To prevent this from happening, make sure you get a fence that:
- Has secure gates. Any fence will only be as secure as its weakest point. Your new security fence should include heavy-duty gates that have the same level of security that the fence panel has. Electric gates should have a mechanism fitted to prevent them from being lifted off the rails and opened manually.
- Can’t be cut. Some types of fence, such as chain-link fences, are easy to cut through with bolt cutters. Other types are however made from metal that is very difficult to cut.
- Is secured with concrete. Although the best protection is to secure the total length of the fence into the ground with concrete, this is very expensive. At an absolute minimum, all posts should be secured to the ground in concrete.
Is difficult to climb over
To ensure that the fence is difficult to climb over, it should:
- Have spikes or points at the top. This can be achieved in different ways. If the fence has a flat top, additional anti-climb spikes, razor wire or electric fencing can be installed on the top. There are however also fences that come with spiky or spear tops as part of the design.
- Have no or few horizontal supports. Horizontal supports give burglars something to hold or climb onto when they want to climb over the fence.
- Be at least 2.5 meters tall. The taller the fence, the better. This does however come at an added cost. Homeowners associations (HOAs), body corporates and cities also often have rules that specify the maximum height of a fence. It’s always a good to first check what these rules are before making the final decision about which fence to install.
Doesn’t provide a place to hide
Although a tall, solid fence may initially deter a burglar, if they do manage to scale it, they will be able to hide without being seen by anyone outside the property. This will give them all the time in the world to do what they want. See-through fences therefore provide better security.
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