Worried about intruders breaking into your home? Then create your own 'panic room' for a fraction of the cost of shipping in a ready-made, hi-tech fortress. According to risk management expert Stephen Vickers, only the most high-profile, high-risk category of tycoons need the kind of protection Jodie Foster has in the movie Panic Room. But residents who want greater protection from potential assailants can create their own safe room to match their needs.
During his 18 years in the Hong Kong police, Vickers, now managing director of PricewaterhouseCooper's Investigations Asia, dealt with violent burglaries and rapes by gangs of illegal immigrants, particularly in isolated Sai Kung houses and on The Peak. He says those living in such areas may consider a so-called panic room, which Vickers calls a 'keep'.
Besides regular deterrents such as locks, burglar alarms, emergency link-ups with police and closed-circuit television, residents can designate one accessible safe room, possibly a bathroom or bedroom.
Most homes already have concrete walls that provide adequate protection. Doors and windows can be reinforced. Unobtrusive armoured glass is a good option, says Vickers, 'because no one wants to turn their home into Fort Knox'.
Inside the safe room, there should be at least two methods of communication with the outside world, such as a land-line telephone and a mobile telephone. If an intruder breaks in, residents can rush to the safe room to alert police, then sit tight until officers rescue them.
Vickers says those who consider themselves at risk should call in a security consultant to view the premises and draw up a plan. This would cost up to $15,000. A separate company should be hired to do the work, under the supervision of the consultant. The cost of such security would vary from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands depending on what was recommended.