Safe Options offers the widest range of safes, lockers, key cabinets, convex mirrors and related security products. Safe Options offer safes for home and business markets, Key security, Security and Safety mirrors, plus industrial and office steel storage, with a range of products from £21 up to £15,000. Safe Options has been trading online since early 1999 and Safe Options are now well established and have a loyal customer base plus many global companies and Government bodies as regular purchasers. Customer service is paramount in the Safe Options business philosophy.

Safe Options - Shopping Security

Safe Options take Online Security very seriously. Identity theft on the net is now a regular news story in our media, some justified, some not. To ensure that Safe Options offer 100% security for all Safe Options customer's credit card identity Safe Options have decided NOT to take your credit card number on the Safe Options web site, but to link to the Royal Bank of Scotland's WorldPay division for online payments. Because major UK banks have the resources and the reputation to offer 100% security Safe Options believe that this is the ONLY safe option. When you reach the Safe Options checkout you will be asked only to complete your invoice and delivery address details. You will only be asked for your Credit Card details once you move to the WorldPay SECURE PAYMENT PAGE where you will then see a security padlock in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. It is the Safe Options sincere belief that this is the most SECURE way of paying by credit card - online or offline.

Safe Options And The Public Sector

Safe Options is a leading supplier to the Public Sector for the sale of Safes, Fire cabinets, Key cabinets, Lockers and Steel Cupboards and Convex mirrors for security and safety use and is pleased to offer 30 day accounts to all Public Sector organisations.

Safe Options is a current supplier to: NHS, Universities, Schools, Local Government, MOD, Social services, Ofsted, 10 Downing Street, DFID, UK Charities.

Safe Options: Home And Small Office Safes
Security safes by Chubb safes, Sentry safes, Burton safes, Phoenix safes, plus Deed boxes, Petty cash boxes, Document boxes, Snatch-proof security boxes. Check out the Chubb BlackBox range of security safes on Safe Options.

Safe Options: Key Security
Key safes and Key Cabinets, Key entry/access safes with capacities from 1 key to 2080 Keys. Safe Options offer electronic, combination or key locking versions. Choose Key cabinets and Key safes made by Securikey.

Safe Options: Lockers
Lockers for all uses - School Lockers, Storage lockers, Leisure lockers, Police Lockers, Golf lockers, Nurses, Coin Return or Retain, Hasp and Staple or Key locking. Probe lockers from the UKonline locker specialist.

Safe Options: Security Mirrors
Convex Mirrors. Our range of Convex Driveway and Traffic mirrors, Security Mirrors and Safety Mirrors cover all requirements, Outdoor convex mirrors, retail surveillance mirrors, industrial security mirrors, Perspex security mirrors.

Safe Options: Document Fire Safes
Fire safes, Fire Cupboards and Fire Filing Cabinets to protect PAPER only. Choose from our range of Electronic fire safes, Combination fire safes or Key locking by Chubb, Sentry, and Phoenix.

Safe Options: Eurograde Security Safes
VDS rated from £6,000 to £150,000 cash rating (You can store 10x cash rating for valuables Choose from Rosengrens and Chubb Eurograde Safes. Free ground floor delivery on GB mainland.

Safe Options: Fire Document Boxes
Ideal for storing small quantities of your most precious paper items such as A4 documents, wills, passports, family photographs and deeds. Prices of our Sentry and Brinks document chests.

Safe Options: Laptop PC Safes
Laptop security safes are recommended for safe storage (when bolted down) for the protection of computers, cash, documents etc. from theft or burglary.

Safe Options: Fire Filing Cabinets
Chubb, Sentry, Schwab, Rosengrens and FireKing filing cabinets. To protect high volumes of vital documents choose from the Safe Options range of Fire Resistant Cupboards and Fire Resistant Filing Cabinets with up to 2 hours protection.

Safe Options: Underfloor Safes
Concealed safes including Churchill underfloor safes, Churchill wall safes, floorboard safes, MOT overnight safes with £6,000 cash cover - you name it Safe Options have got it. Visit the Safe Options wall and underfloor security showrooms now.

Safe Options: Hazardous Cabinets
Hazardous materials, Toxic Chemicals, Medical or Strict Hygiene use. Check out the Safe Options specialist storage section with cabinets to cover all uses - stainless steel cabinets too.

Safe Options: Data Fire Safes
Media Fire safes made by Rosengrens, Lampertz, Chubb, Royal and Eagle - The ONLY way to protect your valuable PLASTIC media and data. Data boxes, Data chests, Media safes and Data Combi safes for CD, DLT tapes, Film.

Safe Options: Hotel Safes
Hotel safes for the storage of cash/cash boxes, camcorders, laptop computers, silverware, jewellery, documents, etc. Also hotel safes are suitable for Caravans, Boats, Horseboxes, Vans, Offices and Domestic use.

Safe Options: Wall Security Safes
Check out the Safe Options range of concealed Wall security safes including Burton Eurograde security wall safes by Burg Wachter with cash ratings of £6,000 and £10,000 for insurance purposes

Safe Options: Fire Cupboards
Fire Cupboards are suitable for protecting paper and other non plastic valuables. Select from Phoenix Fire cabinets and Chubb Record Protection Cabinets. Ideal for Schools in order to protect examination papers from fire and theft.

Safe Options: Deposit Safes
Deposit safes by Chubb, Phoenix and Securikey are ideal for depositing cash, cheques, packets, keys, bundles, drugs, blood, or mail with complete security.

Protect your Car and Vehicle Keys from Theft

Car and Van manufacturers have made giant steps in recent years to combat vehicle theft by the fitting of immobilisers - however this has exercised the minds of thieves to develop other ways of stealing new vehicles.

Car theft of new cars is now predominently achieved by stealing the car keys! According to a government survey a staggering 85% of cars registered after 1997 were stolen using the keys. Thieves now take the route 1 option by breaking into homes to obtain just the car keys, in order to steal the expensive new car standing in the driveway.

Leaving your car keys near your front door, window or on the kitchen table is an easy option for the brazen criminal. As Jill Willis of Norwich Union says, "Most of us would never dream of leaving £14,000 lying around the home - the average cost of a new car - so it pays to be more cautious."

So what is the answer? Safe Options have recently introduced the Keyguard Electronic Car Key Safe to combat the disturbing new wave of car key theft from peoples' homes. This small electronic safe has been specifically designed to be unobtrusive and convenient to use. The Keyguard Electronic Key Safe is large enough to not only provide safe storage of car keys, but has sufficient space to also protect mobile phones, wallets, purses and jewellery.

The Keyguard Key Safe has a cash rating of £1,500 or up to £15,000 of valuables, such as jewellery, as long as the safe is secured according to the manufacturer's instructions. Check out the Keyguard Electronic on Safe Options today!

Safe Options - Security in the Home and Garden

Sheds And Outbuildings

Garden sheds, outbuildings and garages are a popular target with burglars as valuable items are often stored in them. Power tools, lawnmowers, cycles, golf clubs, etc., are all attractive to thieves and are very expensive to replace. The normal garden shed is not designed or constructed to be a strongroom or vault. It is what it is - a garden shed. Likewise garages and outbuildings were designed for a specific purpose but most householders tend to use them for general storage.

Here are a few tips and suggestions in making your property more secure.

• Has your shed survived the winter without any damage? If not, don’t delay - fix it today!
• Shed doors are notoriously easy to break into, so strengthen the door and frame if you can. Outside door hinges should be fitted with coach bolts or non-return screws. If you are strengthening the door and frame consider replacing the hinges with a heavy duty type. Use strong pad-bars and close-shackle padlocks.
• Are the windows secure? Most garden shed window glass is normally only held in place by thin timber battens that are nailed into position. Consider replacing these battens with either a stronger timber section or steel, then secure both types with coach bolts or non-return screws. Does the glass need replacing? You could use perspex, polycarbonate sheets or wired glass as a more secure alternative. Use a window lock on any windows which can be opened - a simple snaplock is ideal as it automatically locks when window is shut. Consider fitting a strong grille or heavy wire mesh panels to both opening and non-opening windows. Also consider using net curtains so people cannot see inside.

• Look at the roof of the shed. Ensure that it is still sound in construction. Consider fixing heavy duty brackets between the roof frames and the wall frames. Burglars have been known to gain access via the roof panels.
• Garage and outbuilding windows are usually more substantial but opening windows still need to be fitted with locks. Timber framed windows can be fitted with snaplocks, metal Crittall-type windows can be fitted with metlocks and transom locks. Again if you are using these buildings to store valuable equipment then consider fitting metal grilles or wire mesh frames.
• Up and over garage doors can be secured by puffing pad locks through the inside runners or by fitting padlocks with a hasp and staple on either side of the door. Five-lever mortice locks are the best thing to use on normal solid doors - some lock manufacturers also supply kits with a pair of locks, one for each side of the door, with a common key.
• Battery operated alarms may act as a deterrent. If you have a house alarm, you can have it upgraded to include your shed or garage. If the garage is an integral part of your house, make sure the alarm conforms to BS 4737. Your Property You also need to protect everything you keep in your shed, garage and outbuildings.
• Does your insurance policy cover the shed, garage and outbuildings together with all the equipment stored in them? Check that you have both Home Contents and Buildings cover. You may need to ensure that some of the more valuable items are listed separately in the policy.
• Is everything marked with your postcode or personal identification mark? These are essential so that you can positively identify them if they are stolen.
• Items can be postcoded by a variety of methods (etching, branding, paint stencilling, uPV pens, etc.) Making them easy to identify will make it more difficult for a thief to dispose of them, so they are less likely to be stolen in the first place. Warning stickers stating that the items inside have been marked also act as a deterrent.

• Keep a record of Makes, Models and Serial Numbers.
• Photograph valuable items and keep the photos somewhere safe.
• Make everything secure inside the shed, garage or outbuildings so that even if someone did break in they wouldn’t be able to walk away with your valuable items.
• Chain cycles, mowers, ladders and tools to a strong anchor point, such as metal rings fixed in concrete to the floor, and use a close shackle padlock.
• Sheds are not really designed for safe storage, so it might be better to keep a strong lockable box or cage inside your shed. This can even be securely anchored to the concrete floor by expanding bolts from inside the box itself. Better still, secure valuable items in a more secure place.
• Ask your neighbours to keep an eye on your shed, garage and outbuildings as well as the house and do the same for them in return.
• If your shed, garage or outbuildings are screened from view, cut down some of the foliage so you are not providing cover for a thief.
• When you’ve made your garden, shed, garage or outbuildings more secure, remember to lock things away every time. It takes just a minute to pick something up and walk off, so don’t be tempted to leave everything outside while you go inside for a cup of tea. And NEVER leave cycles unlocked.

The Garden And Perimeter

Your garden should be your first line of defence against burglars. If someone can get into your back garden easily without attracting attention, it gives them more time to steal from you. Below are some tips to improve security.

• Keep hedges and fences low at the front of the house so that an intruder has nowhere to hide - below 4ft.(1.22m).
• Gravel on paths and driveways will alert you to someone approaching either the house or garden.
• Make sure that your fences and gates are in good repair. Trellis fixed to the top of your garden fence and carefully placed prickly plants will provide extra protection from intruders.
• If there is a gate at the side of your house which leads to the back garden, it should be as close to the front of the house as possible and secured by a suitable lock. If possible the gate should be fixed with the hinges, attached to the shell of the building. Its height should match the height of the adjoining fence / hedge so that any intruder attempting to climb or force the gate can be seen from the road and / or nearby houses. Make sure that the hinges are secure and that the gate cannot be simply lifted off them.
• Install security lighting. Low energy dusk to dawn lighting is environmentally friendly, cheap to run and better for home security than passive infra-red activated lighting. Good lighting also gives security to any welcome visitors to the house. Constant light, i.e. street lighting, should be provided at the front.
• Don’t make a burglar’s life easy by leaving tools around which can be used to force an entry. Always lock them away securely after use and consider chaining them together with a padlock attached to a hasp and staple.
• Likewise, don’t leave ladders lying around as these can be used by a burglar to reach other parts of your house. Ladders should be chained and padlocked to a strong post or wall.
• Try to avoid leaving things such as dustbins around - they can also be used as a climbing aid.
• Remote-movement detectors can protect costly garden furniture and valuable ornaments such as statues or stone planters. However, these are only suitable for heavy objects not affected by wind or casual vibration. Alternatively, you can anchor these items to the ground using ground anchors designed for this purpose - even valuable plants can be protected in this way.
• Hanging baskets are also worth protecting. Bending the bracket and / or hook so that the basket cannot be removed easily may be enough to deter thieves, although locking brackets are also available for this purpose.

Natural Protection

One of the best ways of keeping thieves out of your back garden is to use nature’s own defence mechanisms. A barrier of prickly hedge may be all the protection you need around your property. Here are some suggestions for plants to use. You can also ask for advice at your local garden centre.

BERBERIS: CANDIDULA (3ft.), DARWINII (20ft.), JULIANAE (10ft.), OTTAWENSIS SUPERBA(8ft.), STENO-PHYLLA (10ft.) ILEX (Holly): AQUIFOLIUM (Common Holly-20ft.), AGENTEA MARGINATA (15ft.), FEROX AUREA (Hedgehog Holly) MAHONIA: JAPONICA, CHARITY, WINTER SUN (all 6-8ft.) PYRACANTHA: GOLDEN CHARMER (10ft), MOHAVE (12-15ft.), ORANGEGLOW (10ft.), FIRETHORN THORN: CRATAEGUS MONOGYNA ROSE HEDGING: ROSA RUGOSA SOFT FRUITS: QUINCE, CARELESS (Gooseberry), LEVELLER (Goosebeny), TAYBERRY

Although some growing heights have been quoted, it is up to the householder to determine the height of their shrubs.

Neighbourhood Watch

And finally..., are you a member of Neighbourhood Watch? If not, would you like to join a scheme, or perhaps even start one up yourself? For further information contact your local District Neighbourhood Watch Association.