Inexpensive Safe Leads to Restaurant Robbery

A nearby small town newspaper recently ran a story about a local restaurant robbery.  The story related how the safe with an electronic lock had been opened, without damage, perhaps by a method shown in an internet video.  The author and the local policeman came to the conclusion that no electronic safe locks can be trusted, so they warned people to only use dial type locks.  They are flat wrong.

The real story is that when it comes to safes and other security devices, you get what you pay for.  The “safe” in question weighs 14 pounds and can be purchased online for $125.  How much security do you think you can get for $125?  It certainly was not appropriate for use as a restaurant safe because the paper-thin steel would never keep out a burglar.  Further, when employees see a piece of light weight junk being used to store cash, they can come up with a plan to empty it.  Certainly this was an inside job, and the restaurant owners are to blame for stupidly tempting an employee into committing a crime.

It is true that many of these cheap electronic locks can be defeated easily.  Internet videos show how to open some of them too.  (Certain low-end gun safes also use similar inadequate locks.)  If this restaurant had invested in a real safe with a high quality electronic lock the safe would not have been opened without damage.  There are many U.L. Certified electronic locks that will not leave you vulnerable to theft.

Don’t be cheap and stupid:  When buying a safe for a business use some common sense about what you need to spend for security.

Putting a Safe or Gun Safe in the Garage

Customers regularly ask if putting their safe in a garage or pole building, as opposed to inside the house, creates any potential problems.

A safe or gun safe in the garage is typically not as secure, for the following reasons:

  • Depending on placement, it might be that every time you open the garage door the safe is visible to whoever is driving or walking past the home.
  • It is likely to be seen by delivery or service people like UPS, FedEx, the gardener, maintenance personnel, etc., people who have legitimate reasons to go into the garage.
  • A safe may be seen by neighborhood kids who enter the garage looking to steal bicycles, beer, etc.
  • Everyone has heard stories of the ATM or safe that was stolen when burglars put a chain around it and dragged it off. In a garage or pole building, burglars could open the overhead door and back a truck right in so they could easily do the chain trick.
  • Many older safes are on wheels which allows someone to just roll them outside.
  • With a safe or gun safe in the garage, you could even be in the house watching TV or sleeping while someone is working to open it with quiet tools like torches.
  • Many garages are loaded with tools that burglars would find useful in opening your safe.

Aside from security issues, temperature variations in northern states can cause problems for safes in garages.  Rust and lock problems are not uncommon.

The next post will cover how to protect your safe or gun safe from these issues.