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

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent mate ...

s, 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 murde ...

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 i ...

. 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 painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spanis ...

s. 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 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 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, 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 Laminated glass (LG) is a type of safety glass that holds together when shattered. In the event of breaking, it is held in place by a thin polymer interlayer, typically of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), lonoplast polym ...

* Window

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance * Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lo ...

* External or internal

window shutters A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails (top, centre and bottom). Set within this frame can be louvers (both operable or fixed, horizontal or vertical), solid p ...

(

roller shutter A roller shutter, security shutter, coiling door, roller door or sectional overhead door is a type of door or window shutter consisting of many horizontal slats (or sometimes bars or web systems) hinged together. The door is raised to open it ...

louver A louver (American English) or louvre (British English; see spelling differences) is a window blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain and direct sunshine. The angle of the slats ...

s, 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 European cuisine co ...

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 Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The mos ...

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 detector A glass break detector is a sensor that detects if a pane of glass has been shattered or broken. These sensors are commonly used near glass doors or glass storefront windows. They are widely used in electronic burglar-alarm systems. The detect ...

s 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 c ...

(including those systems with automatic

light switch In electrical wiring, a light switch is a switch most commonly used to operate electric lights, permanently connected equipment, or electrical outlets. Portable lamps such as table lamps may have a light switch mounted on the socket, base, or ...

and

timer A timer is a specialized type of clock used for measuring specific time intervals. Timers can be categorized into two main types. The word "timer" is usually reserved for devices that counts down from a specified time interval, while devices th ...

s) is useful to make evident an attempt of unauthorized access *

Video surveillance Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly tr ...

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