The Ideal Thief
I don’t suppose anyone has the measurements of an idealized thief, do they?
As I’m often advising on the securing of premises I’d like to know if anyone anywhere has standardized the smallest opening that risks a thief squeezing through.
I know about burglar bars, which are round bars spaced five inches apart. But there are a couple of drawbacks to burglar bars and I like to use what are called strapping grilles. But — what kind of rectangular opening can your typical emaciated n’er-do-well squeeze through? There’s a story of a thief getting into a Fifth Avenue store in New York through a 8 by 13 inch hole where the article’s author seemed utterly astonished. That seems like quite a decent gap to this undernourished Brit. Perhaps the astonished reporter was originally from Mississippi (the portliest state of the Union for several years (Colorado being the leanest)).
If the bars are five inches apart, I wonder what size a cell door hatch is limited to. I had to sort out a police cell a couple of years ago. I should have taken some measurements.
I’ve tried calling a Crime Prevention Officer but so far haven’t even managed to leave a message let alone talk to one. The police are like the banks now. You can’t ring up your branch. All the branch numbers are hidden. You can only ring a central switchboard that can’t find crime prevention officers.
