SALEM, Va., Dec. 5, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Every holiday season brings stories about holiday crimes, and results from a PoliceOne survey today announced by Medeco Security Locks reports that business and home owners may be at a greater risk for becoming a victim of a crime or burglary than they realize.
In recent years, the use of keys duplicated without permission has become more prevalent in residential and commercial crimes. Most keys can be copied without any proof of identification or verification at discount or home building stores and allows perpetrators fast, easy access without any delay or disturbance of a forced entry. Residential or commercial keys are often compromised, either directly or indirectly, when entrusted to neighbors, parking valets, cleaning crews, baby sitters, contractors, ex-employees, auto mechanics, or related service providers. Lending keys out during the holiday season is very common.
Data from the survey shows that 82.5 percent of police officers surveyed believe home owners are at risk of residential burglaries because a perpetrator has a copy of their house key. Additionally, 91.3 percent of police officers surveyed believe business owners are at risk of burglaries because a perpetrator has a copy of their business key.
Business and home owners may protect themselves from unauthorized key duplication with patented key control. Medeco's patented key control ensures that keys are only copied with proper identification and verification. Although some home and business owners have keys that are stamped, "Do Not Duplicate," this offers no real physical or legal protection against unauthorized key copying.
"Many homeowners innocently lend their house key to a maid, valet, auto mechanic, or related service provider without thinking of how quickly and easily a standard house key can be copied," said Joey Kingma, Medeco's Director of Residential Products. "There are numerous stories of crimes committed with no sign of forced entry. It happens to home and business owners everyday."
The survey shows that three out of four police officers surveyed believe residential burglaries would decrease if home owners either took greater precautions with their keys, or had keys that could not be duplicated without proper permission. Additionally, 87.2 percent of police officers surveyed believe business burglaries would decline if business owners either took greater precautions with their keys, or had keys that could not be duplicated without proper permission.
The survey was conducted in partnership with PoliceOne, the world's largest source of law enforcement information and services, whose membership includes more than 85,000 registered law enforcement officers representing more than 12,000 departments.
About Medeco
Founded in 1968, Medeco is a market leader in manufacturing high security, patent-protected locks and locking systems for security, safety, and key control. The company's customer base includes wholesale and retail security providers, original equipment manufacturers, and industrial end users.
The Medeco company logo is available at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2075