Most apartments offer guaranteed security system

JAKARTA (JP): Living in an apartment offers many conveniences and advantages. In addition to the convenient location of most apartments here, furnished and decorated residences are also available for short or long-term stays, with everything on hand to ensure a comfortable life.

Tenants can also relax and watch cable television, log on to the Internet in their comfortable living rooms, and cook meals in a kitchen equipped with refrigerator, stove and microwave. In serviced apartments, dishes, cookware, toasters, coffee makers and the like are supplied.

In short, living in an apartment ensures tenants a quiet, comfortable and clean home with a guaranteed security system.

Guaranteed security? Well, most apartment operators claim they offer the best security devices and staff to protect their tenants.

This includes fire alarms, guarded parking lots and controlled entrances, close circuit television (CCTV), intercom systems, emergency exit and peepholes in doors.

Many tenants may not be too sure about whether their belongings are really safe in their apartments. Apartment security should begin from the moment a tenant moves in.

One tenant living of a leading apartment block in the capital said he had had several unhappy experiences due to poor security at the high-rise residential building located in the Bendungan Hilir area, Central Jakarta.

"Once a man tried to open my door with the wrong key. When I approached the man, he realized he was in the wrong tower. It was acceptable since the man was also a tenant. But my friends then told me that they could use the elevator from the parking basement directly to my floor without any difficulty. The automatic key at the main entrance is frequently out of order. I think the apartment has a very poor security system, but I have no choice but to stay here as I have paid the rent up front.

"When I complained to an executive of the apartment, he just told me it was bureaucracy at fault and therefore improving the security system would take a long time," he said.

Some serviced apartments in Jakarta accept tenants on a daily basis, meaning that they operate like hotels. Thus, security is compromised in that visitors cannot be thoroughly checked each time they enter without the risk of annoying them.

And, just like hotels, the lobbies of high-rise residential buildings are the easiest place to spot intruders.

However, Cheah Hooi Theng of Allson Residence said his apartment applied the best security system to avoid problems and to protect tenants.

"Allson takes tenants on a daily basis, but our security guards are required to recognize long-term tenants, who are therefore not checked every time at the entrance. The guards only check visitors in the lobby and before they use the elevators. In addition, there are also cameras in the lobby, he said.

He said Allson also had videophone security devices, which operates as a multipurpose tool including fire alarm and cameras.

He said the apartment had a good parking system for both tenants and visitors. Since its initial operation in mid-1997, there have been no reports of crime, he added.

Important

Facilities to support security are the most important thing for any apartment building. This is not only related to security devices but also to security guards and things such as adequate lighting at entrances and in the parking lot as well as deadlocks and peepholes in doors.

How serious security is taken at an apartment building is also reflected in the management. Do they seem responsible and concerned about security?

General manager for marketing of Executive Menteng Apartment, Veri Y. Setiady, said security is one of the major things at his apartment. All tenants have access cards, the CCTV operates 24 hours a day and visitors must call their hosts on the intercom before gaining access.

He said Executive Menteng Apartment only took tenants on a minimum one-year contract, except for one-bedroom apartments which are available for a minimum period of six months.

With long-term tenants, security is far better because outsiders are immediately recognized, he said.

According to Setiady, his apartment won an ISO9001 certificate for service and security from SGS in Geneva. Executive Menteng Apartment was the first residential building in Indonesia to receive such a certificate, he said.

He added that many staff members from foreign embassies, including the United States, stayed at the apartment, therefore Executive Menteng Apartment's staff had been trained in various procedures related to security, including handling bomb threats, evacuation and so on.

Some tips for secure living in apartments:

* Find out whether the management is serious in providing safety and that the apartment has a good security system. * makes sure all locks on apartment doors offer good security, and that locks are changed when you move in. * Check the doors of the apartment for peepholes. * Don't rely on door chains; they can be forced or opened with special tools. * All exterior doors and locks are in good working order. * Learn where all the emergency exits are and all routes of escape in case of fire. * Install an alarm system. * Make sure the fire alarm always works. * Install a fire extinguisher. * Never leave your apartment doors unlocked. * Don't open the door for any stranger who knocks on your door or buzzes your apartment. * Report any damaged lighting and have them replaced immediately. * If you lose your keys and identification, change your locks immediately. *If, upon arrival, you find your door broken into, do not enter your apartment. Call the police. *If you find someone in your apartment, stay out of their way and leave as soon as possible. *If you see any suspicious persons in the parking lot, drive away. Don't park. *Keep the phone number of the police by the telephone. *Be good neighbors and get to know both your neighbors and the neighborhood. * Have someone you know well to check on your apartment when you are away for long periods. (icn)