Quality marks

There are over 70,000 burglaries a year, which amounts to about 200 a day! 80% of burglaries are occasional break-ins. The burglar looks where they can get in quickly. Many homes have outdated hardware or no security products on doors and windows. There is a dumpster or a ladder in the yard for the burglar to use. On average, it only takes them 2 minutes to get in! With the SKG quality mark and Police Mark Safe Living on security products from AXA, you immediately increase the burglar resistance of your home!

With the SKG seal of approval and Police Hallmark – Safe Living on security products from AXA, you immediately increase the burglar resistance of your home!

The “STICHTING KWALITEITSCENTRUM GEVELBOUW (SKG)” is an independent body that for more than 45 years has ensured that safety products meet strict requirements. If a product receives the SKG seal of approval, it means it meets those requirements. You can find the seal of approval on each individual product, if it applies. For AXA Home Security’s assortment, this applies only to security products. These are products that are usually lockable with a lock mechanism!

The SKG seal of approval can be distinguished into the following levels:

• ADDITIONAL: SKG-1 star with checkmark, supplementary. These are products that contribute extra to social security in situations where you do not necessarily have to fully meet the requirements for burglar resistance or theft restriction.
• STANDARD: SKG-1 star, non-autonomous. These products delay burglars for at least 3 minutes when combined with other burglar-resistant products.
• SEVERE: SKG-2 star, independent. These products can independently delay burglars at least 3 minutes.
• EXTRA STRONG: SKG-3 stars, independently. These products can independently delay burglars for at least 5 minutes.

Now you may be thinking, “3 or 5 minutes? That’s not much!” But here it comes: most burglaries are occasional burglaries. Those burglars just look to see where they can get in quickly. But they also immediately see if a house has security products. And believe us, if they see those, they’d rather walk through to a house without SKG products. So, it really can make a big difference!

TIP: You can recognize the seal of approval by the SKG logos on packaging as well as on the product itself!

In the 1990s the police came up with the initiative of Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen. With all kinds of measures and agreements, this hallmark ensures that your home and its surroundings are safe.

An important part of the hallmark is taking measures to prevent burglary. This often means securing windows and doors with burglar-proof products. Just make sure you install them in the right place, in the right way with the right fasteners. This not only makes your home more secure, but it is also important for the Police Quality Mark Safe Living that you use the right products in the right place.

If you want, you can have an accredited PKVW company inspect and certify your home. Among other things, they will look at:

• Whether you have approved locks on your windows, doors, skylights and sliding doors. These make it a lot harder for burglars to get in.
• Whether you have lighting on all your outside doors. So that you and bystanders can always see who is at the door.
• Visibility of others in front of your door. For example: a hedge that is too high around your back door ensures that a burglar remains unseen.

If after the inspection it appears that your house does not meet the requirements of the PKVW, the PKVW company can ensure that your house is adapted and does meet the requirements. You can also do this yourself, if you prefer. After that, the PKVW company can certify your house. With that PKVW certificate you can get a discount on the premium of your home contents insurance with some insurance companies. Sounds good, right? That discount can be as much as 15%!

But did you know that in addition to the individual certificate for your home, there is also the possibility of certifying a ‘Complex’ and an ‘Environment’? The Safe Complex certificate applies to all shared areas such as the central hall, storage room and gallery. And the Safe Environment certificate has to do with the outdoor public areas, such as street furniture and public transportation stops. So, not only your house can be safe, but the whole environment!

Please note that this quality mark (see logo below) can only be found on packaging and not on the product itself, as is the case with SKG!

More information about the Police Mark Safe Housing can be found here.