Learning Materials Burglar alarm - Storyline Having confronted some of the technical problems of burglar alarms in the Building Research Establishment’s test house, designers Richard Seymour and Dick Powell tour a housing estate with ex-burglar Bob Turley, now a youth probation officer, to gain an insight into how the criminal mind works. Turley explains that most burglars make a snap assessment of which homes to target. A burglar alarm would not necessarily deter the housebreaker, says Turley, but any signs of activity within the home would. Also, many homeowners don’t bother to prime their dead locks when they pop out, an easy target for the burglar passing by. Armed with these insights, Seymour Powell seek a manufacturer to collaborate on the project. At UK Alarms Ltd, co-founder Amanda Howell is sceptical that Richard and Dick will be able to make any significant advance in terms of new concepts, but she is nevertheless willing to let her engineers help them try. Seymour Powell bring together a cross section of security experts to brainstorm the problem. The group includes a criminal psychologist, a burglary victim, a crime prevention officer and UK Alarms managing director Graham Marshall. After hours of going round in circles, the ideas begin to gel. Among them is Home Aware, a system which detects a burglar approaching and deters by switching on electrical appliances. But will this really protect against the most resourceful housebreaker? With time running out, the team experiences a Eureka moment: a car-style central locking system is proposed for the home. One push of the button and all doors in the house are locked. The designers point out that even the least security conscious couldn’t fail to use it every time they leave the house. It is classic case of ’technology transfer’ from one sector to another. "We know why it’s popular in cars. It’s easy, it’s simple, it’s straightforward. It’s doing the locking and the alarm-arming at the same time," exclaims Richard Seymour. But will it be possible to adapt this car industry technology for the home? Back at their London studio, Seymour Powell are convinced they’ve found a solution. They want to combine car-style central locking with the Home Aware concept which also surfaced during their brainstorming session. A single electronic fob key will activate the entire system. But at UK Alarms Ltd, Graham Marshall and development engineer David Riley spot a fundamental flaw in the idea when they receive drawings from the designers to build a prototype. The design requires a great deal of power to drive the bolt into the latch and running wires through channels in the door would not be acceptable to most home owners. The engineers and designers meet at Seymour Powell’s studio to thrash out the thorny problem of how to get power to the door. The solution is to develop a specially designed catch that can plug straight into mains power. By sending signals through the mains wiring, it also becomes easier to activate the second line of defence, Home Aware. Development now proceeds in two directions. While David Riley buries himself under a mound of transistors and resistors at UK Alarms Ltd to build a working prototype, Seymour Powell work on the key fob appearance design with model maker Keith Brookes. The style they choose is a metallic lavender to create a softer, user-friendly device. The system is tested and it works. The designers are delighted. But the big question is, will UK Alarms Ltd go for the idea? Amanda Howells is taken to a police test house where she is given a demonstration of the new concept. Her natural scepticism is overcome. "A fabulous idea" is her initial verdict. Ex-burglar Bob Turley also gives the design the thumbs up. Everyone is agreed that this is one home security system that people will actually use. UK Alarms Ltd decides to put the design into production. The aim is for Seymour Powell’s design to be in DIY stores by the autumn, priced at under £100.