Villa Capponi - South Facade - Barred Window

The term window security may refer to any of a range of measures used to avoid unauthorized access through windows, and prevent crimes such as

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...

and

home invasions A home invasion, also called a hot prowl burglary, is a sub-type of burglary (or in some jurisdictions, a separately defined crime) in which an offender unlawfully enters into a building residence while the occupants are inside. The overarching ...

. Window security is used in commercial and government buildings, as well as in residential settings.

History

In ancient Greek and Roman houses grilles were rarely used and had simple designs, rectangular or diamond-shaped, as it appears in 1st and 2nd-century wall paintings. In medieval times some castles, prisons and convents were protected by rudimentary iron grilles. From the 11th century to 15th, in France, Spain, Germany and Italy the blacksmiths started to take care of beauty of their products, so the grilles started to be characterized by iron and bronze decorative motifs. While French blacksmiths approached the highest perfection in the execution of

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

grilles, Italian ones maintained the sobriety of design. After attempts to imitate stylistically these grilles in the 19th century, the simplicity of design has taken over, and particular importance is given to the materials and the execution. Openable bars have been introduced to the market. In Britain, in the middle of the 1800s glass started to be used in the ordinary shops, but wooden shutters were retained to protect the goods exposed. At about this time metal grilles started to be used at night to allow passersby to view the goods on display. Metal roller shutters were introduced in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a response to street riots throughout the United Kingdom, but now there are alternative solutions for the security of shops.

Security devices

Bulletproof glass window after a burglary attempt

Physical barriers

* Grilles * Laminated glass * Window locks * External or internal window shutters ( roller shutters, louvers, etc.) According to the

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

standards ( EN 1627, EN 1628, EN 1629 and EN 1630), the

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

of a closing system can be classified in six levels, for which it has to be tested in standardized modalities for its ability to resist to different tools in different time intervals.

Surveillance

* Wired or wireless

security alarms A security alarm is a system designed to detect intrusion, such as unauthorized entry, into a building or other areas such as a home or school. Security alarms used in residential, commercial, industrial, and military properties protect against ...

can be designed to warn intrusions through windows, using sensors like glass break detectors and contact magnetic sensors *

Security lighting In the field of physical security, security lighting is lighting that intended to deter or detect intrusions or other criminal activity occurring on a property or site. It can also be used to increase a feeling of safety. Lighting is integral to cri ...

(including those systems with automatic light switch and timers) is useful to make evident an attempt of unauthorized access * Video surveillance is today able to send alarm signals from the system on electronic devices

Trade-offs

Window locks may be difficult to use for elderly or disabled people, but easier to use locks have become available. In addition, during a fire or a similar emergency situation in which it is necessary to escape, lockable windows, window shutters or grilles (especially fixed ones) may become dangerous obstacles, so it is necessary to ensure that the keys are as close to the windows as is practical or, if a window is an important emergency exit, that it can be opened from the inside without the use of a key.{{cite web, url=https://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/door-security-window-security-glazing-grilles-and-shutters/482/security-shutters-grilles-and-door-gates//, title=Security shutters, grilles and door gates, website=The Crime Prevention website, access-date=11 February 2020

Sources