Each of us has some precious items. For some it is jewelery, for some it is documents, for some it is savings, and for some it is simply family heirlooms. We usually keep them at home or in an apartment and often hide them in places obvious to thieves - in mattresses, in kitchen containers, in dirty linen baskets or between books. Some of us have purchased safes - smaller or larger, lighter or heavier, locked with keys or a combination. The most prudent have hidden safes with limited access only for initiated family members.
Break-ins and thefts have been with us for hundreds of years. Methods are changing, and hacking is accompanied by advanced technologies more and more often, but the effects remain the same. There is still a group of people who want to illegally and get rich quickly at the expense of others. And still new people or families are being robbed. They have to come to terms with the fact that strangers have been in their house or apartment, often in the presence of the whole family, often blackmailed or put to sleep by thieves with gas, or at best saved at the last minute thanks to the intervention of a courageous family member or the called security.
How can you increase your security?
It is worth protecting yourself in the event of such events. One of the forms of security is property insurance in the event of theft. Such a policy can be purchased from practically all insurers, and its price depends on what we want to insure and for what value. Unfortunately, the policy will never insure the sentimental value, which often applies to family heirlooms, jewelry passed down from generation to generation, or, for example, discs with family photos taken and archived carefully over the years.
An additional form of security can be a safe installed in the house or apartment. Currently, there are a wide variety of safes available on the market in different security classes and with different security features. A high-class safe is definitely a very good form of security for valuables, especially if you are not at home during a burglary. You should pay attention to two risks associated with having a safe in a house or apartment.
The first is the fact that there are more and more cases of taking the entire safe out of the house during theft. Thieves are comfortable during burglaries and, if the conditions are favorable, they can even tear a large safe from the building and take it to a place where they can open it. One of such incidents took place, for example, in Lublin, where thieves literally tore the safe from the building despite security and monitoring:
The second risk is much more dangerous from our personal point of view. In the event of a break-in and an attempt to rob a safe in our presence, we are exposed to blackmail and threats to open the safe. If we are with our family during such an incident, none of us will risk refusing to open the safe and endangering our loved ones or ourselves. Such incidents are happening more and more often. The last publicized case concerns the famous AS Roma footballer Chris Smalling. The thieves burst into the player's apartment and, in front of his wife and child, ordered to open the safe and return the valuables:
Police statistics - the numbers don't lie
We analyzed the police statistics on burglaries and thefts in Warsaw and the surrounding municipalities, which are available to the public on the website of the Warsaw Police Headquarters. The conclusions that flow are unequivocal. There are tens of thousands of break-ins in Warsaw and its vicinity.
South-western communes are particularly vulnerable to burglary. However, the number of crimes is distributed fairly regularly on the capital's map. A positive exception is Śródmieście, where there are many office buildings, service premises and flats intended for business activities or an office that are less vulnerable to burglary.
We analyzed the break-ins and thefts in 2019 and 2020 in more detail. Both types of crimes are characterized by high seasonality in Warsaw and the surrounding communes. The third and fourth quarters of the year are the most dangerous.
The third quarter of the year is mainly the result of holidays, during which there are many more burglaries and thefts. The fourth quarter is the result of a shorter day and holidays - burglaries and thefts are much more likely to happen under cover at night and during the Christmas period.
The number of break-ins and thefts is comparable in 2019 and 2020, although these statistics are very lowered in 2020 due to the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, crime has generally decreased in 2020. Most of us stayed in houses and apartments due to the restrictions imposed throughout Poland. The year 2021 will probably be much more representative - the number of crimes will be rather higher than in 2020, due to the relative return to normality and the lower risk of lock-downs related to COVID19.
Safe deposit box - comfort and above-average security
The answer to the above risks may be, and even should be, a safe deposit box in a professional vault. Safe deposit boxes are very popular in Western Europe, where, especially in the DACH countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Great Britain, each family has at least one safety deposit box on average. Often such a hiding place is handed down from generation to generation and is deposited in it, inter alia, savings, souvenirs and important documents.
Safebox24 vaults and safe deposit boxes are a response to market demand and the growing awareness of customers in Poland. A safe deposit box in Safebox24 vaults eliminates most of the risks described above. Safebox24 vaults, as one of the few in Poland, guarantees above-average, certified security, permanent access to a deposit box and unique insurance. Safebox24 facilities also guarantee unique discretion and confidentiality.
About us
In 2019, Safebox24, as the first operator in Warsaw, built from scratch at 49A Koszykowa Street, a modern, safe, certified vault with 24/7 access. The vault has been prepared in a way that allows you to enter the vault and deposit the value in the safe deposit box after signing the contract. The vault and each safe deposit box are insured. Each owner of a rented safe deposit box can choose an individual limit of insurance against all risks. Access to the vault and safe deposit box is based on the biometrics of the hand (Touch ID) and the face (Face ID). This is a great convenience compared to traditional keys or access cards that can be lost or stolen.
In 2020, Safebox24 built another facility in the center of Krakow, at 16 Saint Sebastian Street, which will be open on September 1 this year. It will be the most modern, automatic vault and deposit facility in Poland. We plan to open another automated vault and deposit facility in the center of Łódź by the end of the year. Ultimately, Safebox24 plans to open a dozen or so automatic vault and deposit facilities in Poland.