We have a 65 year old customer that had her life-long collection of jewelry stolen from her home.
She lost about $35,000 worth of rings, necklaces, and bracelets; she expressed to me it was not about the money, but it was the sentimental value and she now feels unsafe in what appears to be a very secure neighborhood.
She realizes she must add some security.
She told me she called the police several times following the robbery, and it was very tough to even get them to come to her house.
I certainly do not think this is typical, but it has made her think an alarm will not help her because she does not feel confident the police will respond quickly enough if the alarm goes off.
She also has something personal against the robbers and wants to catch them if they ever come back.
The solution she thought was to install a camera system, not a bad idea.
However, there are some issues with that.
She has no alarm and was very adamant about NOT getting one.
Let's go through some scenarios assuming she has cameras, but no alarm:

1. Robbers break into the house, do not hear an alarm or see a keypad, but see the cameras.
   They think they have plenty of time because help is not on the way.
   Before they look for what they want to steal, they look around for the DVR (Digital Video Recorder) or time-lapse recorder.
   Once they have the DVR, the cameras are useless, so they can calmly finish the job and get what they want.
   Not only did she not catch them, but they have also stolen her top dollar DVR!
2. Robbers break into the house wearing masks.
   They have a little laugh amongst themselves because they do not hear or see an alarm, but they see some cameras they know are useless because they are wearing masks.
   This is an even worse scenario; they don't even have to worry about the DVR because their identity will not be revealed on the footage anyway.
   They know they have plenty of time to get all the loot they want.
   She paid top dollar for this CCTV system, but still was robbed blind!
3. This is the worst scenario she could run into.
   Armed robbers are currently in her house, and she is on her way home.
   She pulls into the driveway, and everything seems fine; she does not hear a siren because she does not have an alarm.
   The robbers entered through the rear of the house, and their vehicle is out of sight.
   She comes waltzing through the front door and is greeted by a not-so-friendly stranger with a gun pointed at her.
   What more can I say, obviously this could be a deadly situation.
   

Now let's go through some scenarios assuming she has cameras AND an alarm:

1. The ideal scenario is: the robbers break into the house and hear the very loud siren.
   It startles the robbers, and they leave the house immediately without taking anything! Not only have they not stolen anything, but she has them on DVR to turn over to the police.
   Now she has put her money into something that is very effective and served its purpose.
   
2. The robbers break in, hear the alarm, and see the cameras.
   They panic; one tries to find what they are looking for while the other tries to destroy the cameras.
   Little do they know the footage is stored on the DVR located in a closet or sufficient hiding place.
   With the alarm going off, there is not enough time to try to locate it.
   So, they might get away with some loot, but she captured their faces on the DVR, and end up catching them after the police review the footage.
   Now she has put her money into something that is very effective and served its purpose.
   
3. This scenario is similar to the first one, but these guys are wearing masks.
   Most robbers wear masks for fear of being caught.
   The robbers break into the house and hear the very loud siren.
   Naturally, they are not concerned about her cameras because they are wearing masks, but the siren scares them off without them getting a chance to take anything.
   Now she has put her money into...
   ok, I think you get it.
   After I explained all this to the customer, she understood and asked for a quote on a Surveillance System AND an Alarm System.
   Hopefully, now you understand the alarm comes first and is the most effective way to prevent a robbery or stop robbers in their tracks.
   A CCTV system is a wonderful addition to your security, but will not be very effective by itself.
   Please make sure you have both if you want to give yourself the best opportunity to keep your household safe from invasion.