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The more ostentatious your wealth, the more at risk you are.
I think I first realised this when, as a student staying in a tiny room in the back end of Mowbray, I was house-sitting at a fairly nice home in Bishopscourt and suddenly felt very paranoid.
I merely tapped into the anxiety that comes with having so much to look after.
It is probably true across the world, that if the super-rich are not worrying about getting more money, they’re definitely worried about how to hold on to what they’ve got.
Then again, if they’re Instabragging, then they are not doing themselves any favours.
The crime of using social media to track and target rich people, who show off their gains with little regard for the consequences, has really skyrocketed in recent years.
Generally, for all the 2 751 US Dollar billionaires in the world, and even those struggling along with only hundreds or tens of millions to their name, wealth brings not only luxury but also fear, per The Telegraph.
At least they have the money for high-end security systems and personal bodyguards, which costs anywhere between £500 (R10 000) and £1 500 (R30 000) a day.
And the bodyguards are not those massive balding blokes we imagine from the movies. Instead, they’re discreet and well-trained, with their main goal being to get you out of a situation in one piece.
The massive security industry is fueled by the super-rich’s paranoia, not that those in the security business have any complaints.
There’s even an International Security Expo held each year at Olympia in London, which gives you an idea of the kinds of things ultra-high-net-worth individuals will spend their money on to fortify their homes:
The International Security Expo brings together some 250 exhibitors and attracts security companies, architects looking for the latest technologies to design into buildings and public spaces, and representatives of government organisations who, as Ingram puts it, “won’t necessarily hand you a business card”.
But the exhibits on display – perimeter intruder-detection systems, technical-surveillance countermeasures, buried intrusion detectors – hold a particular interest for that mysterious group known as ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
Philip Dowds, the MD of Okto Technologies, which develops and instals smart systems in homes and businesses, has suggestions for a “360-degree shield” designed to keep any threat as far away as possible:
Firstly, there is perimeter defence, comprising three elements: radar, thermal cameras to pick up body heat, and underground pressure sensors detecting anyone jumping over the wall.
All of these would be integrated into a smart system that would eliminate the possibility of a false alarm being triggered by a fox or a badger.
Anyone attempting to smash through the main gate in a truck would be met with a reinforced steel door capable of withstanding an impact at 40mph.
Then, hopefully, the homeowners have security staff on the premises, ready to spot intruders on CCTV.
Additionally, an alarm system will be on hand to activate high-intensity security lights, which makes the house go from total darkness to the brightness of a football stadium flooded by lights in a few seconds.
There’s also the suggestion of getting loudspeakers set at 110 decibels, which is as loud as a riveting machine, apparently.
But most importantly is perhaps the serenity room, a highly updated version of the old-fashioned panic room:
A ‘serenity room’, on the other hand, will be the master bedroom, or a similarly familiar and comfortable area, specially customised – the walls lined with Kevlar, the doors made of reinforced steel, the windows bulletproof.
Just as important, he says, will be ‘fully diverse communication’: separate phone lines buried deep inside the building and running in different directions in case the burglars or kidnappers have cut the obvious lines, with Wi-Fi, 5G and satellite channels to the outside world.
Scented candles and piped new-age music to soothe jangled nerves are optional.
This kind of complete home-defence system can easily cost up to £1 million.
Yeah, include all of those scented candles, please.
Meanwhile, a more modest package is available, which “won’t blow the budget” according to Dowds, going for about £100 000.
It includes perimeter protection with thermal cameras and radar, the aforementioned lights and speakers, and a direct connection to the police.
Otherwise, there’s always something more customised:
[Dowds] is working on a security system costing £2 million for a London property worth more than £150 million, for a client who will be there for only five or six weeks a year.
Just watch out for the drones flying overhead, hackable fridges, and baby-monitors, and do well to keep your staff happy so that they’re not tempted to use knowledge of your security systems against you.
But at the end of the day, with all the perimeter fencing, the thermal cameras, and the personal protection, the one thing money can never buy is complete peace of mind.
[source:telegraph]
