It’s been a while since we revisited our ‘Greatest Prison Escapes’ series. So far, we have looked at two high profile prison breakouts; the escape of American prisoner Frank Abagnale and Mexican kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.  

Picking it back up today, we will be taking a closer look at a prison escape that occurred back in 1995, this time from a prison in the UK. HM Prison Pankhurst is the prison in question – once a top security prison but was later downgraded in the 1990s.

The Criminals

Andrew Roger, Keith Rose, and Matthew Williams, were the three prisoners who managed to escape from the HM Prison Pankhurst back in 1995.  All three were serving life sentences, with Roger and Rose both doing time for murder, whilst Williams was imprisoned for arson and bomb making.

Whilst most prison escapees get lucky and stumble across the instruments needed to aid their escape, these three cunning prisoners actually made all the equipment they needed; ladder, gun and master key. They all worked in the prison’s metal shop, making this possible over time.

The ladder was a 25 foot and made from steel – used to scale the prison fence. This wasn’t the most impressive thing that they made though – they constructed a key that opened every key and door in the prison – all made from memory.

The Escape

The prisoners at Pankhurst were all allowed to spend time in the small gym – this time was allocated every day. On the day in question, the three prisoners went along to the gym as normal. However, taking advantage of a distracted guard (or two), they unlocked the door at the back of the gym and escaped. They simply cut a hole in the fence (with another weapon they carved) and used their steel ladder to climb to safety (and freedom).

Luckily for the authorities (and unluckily for the prisoners), they were caught just a mere 4 days later. They were hiding out in an airfield, hoping to steal a plane for amateur pilot Rose to fly. In the end, the airfield was obviously a lot more secure than the prison ever was!

We’re glad that the criminals were caught in the end, but it’s still really interesting to read about these prison escapes. We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we did writing!   

It just shows that you can’t be too careful when it comes to security – even high security prisons need to upgrade their security.

As locksmiths in Essex, AFS Security understands the importance of security. We offer our customer’s peace of mind by helping you with all your security needs – whether residential or commercial.

For more information on how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can give us a call on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Apart from providing you with a fantastic and reliable locksmith in East London, we also specialise in a range of top quality security systems. This includes items such as locks, intruder alarms and CCTV systems.

We understand the importance of good security – it protects your home, possessions and family. It should be a high priority in any home, but  unfortunately it isn’t. 

Does your home lack the protection that it should have? Here are just 3 reasons why you should make installing a new security system the next thing you do.

1. Protects Everything That Is Important To You

Valuables. Possessions. Family. These are all things that you are in danger of losing or harming, if you don’t install some type of security system in your home. We all know someone who has had their house broken into and lost something important or expensive.

Why risk it happening to you?

A burglar alarm will alert you to anyone attempting to break into your house and will either scare them away or allow you to alert the police before they do any harm.

2.  Deters Crime From Taking Place

If someone is looking to break into a house, would they choose the house with or without security? Obviously they would go for the unsecured house every single time. Don’t wait for someone to break in before you take action, being prepared with security in place, can actually stop it happening in the first place.

Research actually shows that fewer burglaries take place in areas in which people have a lot more security in place. You could be protecting the whole street!

3. Gives You Peace Of Mind

With good security in place, you won’t have to spend any more time worrying about what could happen if someone breaks into your house whilst you’re away. If you leave family members home alone, you’ll know that they are safe and protected within the house.

There is nothing worse than feeling unsafe in your own home, so a security system will offer you peace of mind that is better than anything.

When it comes to choosing a security system that gives you the ultimate protection, AFS Security are the company you can trust.

We want you to feel safe in your own home, which is why our products will provide you with the peace of mind that your security system is one of the best.

For more information, please contact us on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

As locksmiths in Essex, we consider ourselves as being experts in security. A huge part of our job is supplying and installing security products that are in place to keep you and your possessions safe. This is why we thought it would be interesting to look at some of the world’s best security systems – starting with prisons.

Since prisons house some of the most dangerous people on the planet, we thought they would be a brilliant area to study. We looked at three prisons with amazing security in part one and we’re back with even more in this newest edition!

Black Dolphin Prison (Russia)

Located in Russia, the Black Dolphin Prison is one of the first prisons in Russia that held people serving life sentences. It’s home to around 700 criminals – some of the most dangerous men in Russia. This includes a mixture of people who are in for serious crimes. These include murderers, serial killers and terrorists.

Prisoners are blindfolded on arrival so that they can’t map out the prison for a potential escape route. When escorted around the prison, they are kept bent over at the waist with their hands handcuffed behind their back. This is so they can’t see their location and so that the prison guard remains completely in control.

They are kept in isolated cells that have a set of three steel doors. For 90 minutes a day, they are taken out to exercise. They are under constant supervision for 24 hours a day and are not allowed to sit or rest during daylight hours – a guard checks on them every 15 minutes.

There are 900 officers to the 700 prisoners – escaping isn’t an option.

Portlaoise Prison (Ireland)

This prison in Ireland is renowned for its brilliant security and ability to keep prisoners from escaping. Due to the fact that it houses a lot of high profile criminals, the prison make sure that they keep the number of inmates below capacity. They have a number of highly armed guards patrolling the prison for 24 hours a day. They are armed with assault rifles and anti aircraft machine guns.

The air above the prison is considered as being a no-fly zone – due to many attempts at blowing the prison up. It also has thousands of cameras, sensors and a huge wall right around the perimeter. 

Keep on checking back as we even more of these to explore in detail!

Our security products aren’t as extreme as some of the things mentioned above, but it’s good enough to keep you and your property safe and secure.

From locks and safes, to CCTV systems and intruder alarms – we have everything you need to make yourself feel safe. For more information, please contact us on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Living by yourself can be a wonderful experience. You can come and go as you please, eat whatever you want and you don’t have to fight over the remote. It can often give you a sense of independence that you don’t get when living with someone else, whether it’s parents, friends or a significant other.

However, it also has a downside. Apart from feeling lonely now and again, it can also pose risks to your safety. Unfortunately, living alone can make you an easy target for burglars.

To avoid putting yourself in danger, here are some safety tips you should definitely consider to keep yourself and your home safe.

Get to Know Your Neighbours

It used to be a lot easier to be friends with your neighbours than it is now. These days, a lot more people prefer privacy and will extend nothing but a quick hello to those who live next to them. However, if you make the first move, it should be easy to strike up a positive friendship. We’re not saying you have to be best friends, but having an extra set of eyes looking after you can be extremely helpful when you live alone.

Although, we urge you to be careful and get to know your neighbours before you give out any personal information, as this can be a security risk in itself.

Get a Pet

Not only can a dog or cat be good company when living on your own, they can also deter thieves from breaking into your home. Cats, and especially dogs, will put someone off targeting your house, as they can often get in the way and make noise.

If you get a large dog, they probably won’t even attempt break into your house at all! Even if it’s a softie, it will look intimidating to them!

Install Good Security

The number one rule for security is that you should always lock your doors. This is good advice for anyone who lives anywhere – even those who live with 5 other people! You can deter thieves by simply keeping your doors locked at all times, even when you’re in the house.

However, having locked doors isn’t always enough. It’s essential that you have some other security in place. Have you got motion sensors near your house? These will detect anyone hanging around outside. How about an alarm? So you will be alerted to the fact that someone is attempting to break in.

Make Sure Your Windows Have Curtains

Did you know that a good pair of curtains can actually protect you? Apart from keeping your house toasty, curtains may prevent a break in from happening. A lot of the time, criminals will look into your window and see something of value that they want to steal. Closing your curtains will stop it from happening, as well as stopping them from seeing the inside of the house at all.

Living alone can be scary, but it can also be the best years of your life. With a lot of thinking and the right precautions, you should have nothing to worry about.

As locksmiths in Kent, we have been called to repair or change the locks of many houses that have been broken into. It’s often frustrating, as we can see how easily it could have been avoided. Houses need to have good security in place – something that we can help you do here at AFS Security. From CCTV to intruder alarms, we can help you protect yourself against burglaries.

For more information on the services we provide, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Give us a quick call on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

We recently started a series that looked at some the world’s most bizarre burglaries. Whilst most criminals look to steal high value goods such as money or diamonds, these thieves are a little more random. Instead of robbing expensive vaults, we have burglars who have made away with sand from a beach, an alien model and a penguin (luckily the penguin was returned unharmed).

We know you’ve been waiting patiently for part two, so enjoy!

Disappearing Dwelling

We’ve heard a lot about things inside houses being stolen, but have you ever read about the actual house being taken too? A Malaysian landlord was startled when he realised that his two storey wooden house wasn’t where it was supposed to be. In its place were a lot of scattered wood, 24 concrete pillar holders and one damaged TV set.  Neighbours reported seeing three men and trailer around the house and just assumed that they were carrying out work on behalf of the landlord. Oops!

He never got his house back and the money he lost was estimated to be in its thousands.

Conned Out of Corn

Whilst most criminals are plotting to steal money, jewellery or anything else of value – our next thieves just wanted an awful lot of corn. The Brazilian criminals managed to get away with 50 tons of corn which they stole from a moving train. 50 tons!

How did they do this? Well they first smeared grease all over the tracks so that the train would be forced to slow down. Once this had happened, they hopped on and stole all the corn that was being transported elsewhere. The train also happened to be carrying sugar, but our criminals must of been health conscious because they left all that behind!

A Hog Heist

What’s with people stealing animals? And why don’t they realise that it never ends well? For our last bizarre burglary, we are looking at a man in Minnesota who thought it was clever to steal a Hog. Actually, he stole over a hundred Hogs. When he was convicted, they found over a hundred of the cute and slippery animals. The man was fined $55,000 and was put on probation for three years.

We bet he’s regretting making the Hog heist now! And we’re still not sure what he was planning with them all. Imagine the noise! 

We find these stories both funny and fascinating – and we hope you do too! Keep on checking back, as we are sure to carry on this series in the future.

Whilst we joke about these strange burglaries, it still highlights the need for good security. As locksmiths in Essex, we can help you make sure that you have high quality security measures in place. Contact AFS Security on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help you out.

As much as you’d like to think that your house is safe from being burgled, the scary fact is that it could happen to anyone. Sometimes they are completely random and there is nothing you could have done to prevent it happening.

As we said, it can be random, but a lot of the time there is a reason why your house has been targeted. In fact, there is a whole list of factors that make certain houses more attractive to potential thieves.

Do you know what these are? The first step in preventing theft is to highlight potential problem areas. Read on for our list of factors that make certain houses a target.

Out-Of-The-Way Houses

Houses that are in low traffic areas are more likely to get broken into than those that are situated on busy streets or roads. This is because there is less chance of the thief getting spotted by anyone. Houses that are on quiet cul-de-sacs, dead end streets and in secluded areas are also at a higher risk of burglary than any other house.

Houses that are located on corners are also thought to be those that are targeted most often, as potential thieves find it easy to drive past and scope out the area – as they can slow down when making a turn.

Houses That Are Empty

We all have the nightmare of our houses getting broken into whilst we’re in bed, but facts show that houses are more likely to get broken into during the day. The reason for this? The house is more likely to be empty. Over half of reported burglaries take place in the day time and during the working week – whilst you are all out at work or school. Hardly any thieves target occupied homes, because they know that they are less likely to get away with anything.

They also look out for overgrown grass, post piling up and curtains never opening. This is a good indication that you’re on holiday and prompts them to target your home.

 Houses With Places to Hide

The design of your home or the way that your house is landscaped, can be a big factor in why your house is targeted by thieves. They will look for houses that have places for them to hide, such as big trees or bushes under windows. Many would be criminals will avoid targeting houses that have noisy stones or gravel around the house – as this could be heard easily.

This post just highlights the importance of having good security measures in place. If your house is well secured, then you are making it a lot harder for thieves to target you. If you’re looking for a locksmiths in East London who can provide you with top notch security, AFS Security have you covered. We understand the importance of security, and want to help you properly look after your home or business.

For more information on our services, please contact us on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Prisons are generally thought of as being pretty secure places. They house some of the world’s most dangerous criminals, so it’s important that security in these places is top notch. It’s baffling then that prison escapes actually happen and are sometimes pulled off brilliantly. We don’t like the thought of these people being free somewhere in the world, but we admit that the planning and execution of these escapes are often truly fascinating.

We recently started a series that aimed to look at some of the greatest and most puzzling escapes of all time. In part one; we looked at the escape of Frank Abagnale, a man who basically walked out of a prison in the USA.

You’ve probably heard on the news this week about a man who escaped from a jail in Mexico and is now on the run from the police who are desperately trying to track him down. We thought it was the perfect time to pick up the series and take a closer look at this man who managed to escape from a high security prison.

The Criminal

Guzman is a Mexican drug lord who heads his own criminal organisation; the Sinaloa Cartel. Since 2003, he has been considered as being one of the most powerful criminals in the whole of Mexico and ranked 10^th on a list of the richest people in Mexico back in 2011. This is extremely surprising, considering he spent most of these years in prison.

He was arrested in June 1993 after years of careful planning by the FBI and was sentenced to 20 years in maximum security prison. Whilst in prison, he continued to run his drug empire – bribing guards and keeping other prisoners scared of him. In 2001 he managed to escape, aided by several prison workers who he had managed to gain influence over.

He was on the run from 2001-2014, despite the authorities getting several leads. He was eventually arrested and sentenced to life in prison. That should of been the end right? Not exactly…

The Escape

Until last weekend, Guzman was serving time in The Federal Social Readaptation Center No 1 – a maximum security federal prison which prides itself as being impenetrable. He was last spotted heading into the shower area in his cell, the one place that isn’t visible on camera so that the prisoners can have a little privacy. It wasn’t until a few hours later, that the prison wardens realised that he hadn’t been spotted on the camera for a while and rushed to his cell. Unfortunately for them, they found it empty.

They found a tunnel that had been dug from his cell, which leads to a construction site 1.5 km away. The tunnel was 10m deep underground, 1.7m tall and 75cm in width – he had used a ladder to climb down and make a break for freedom. Once he made it to the end of the tunnel, there was a motorbike waiting for him.

Experts have said that this tunnel would have taken over a year to build and would have certainly drawn attention from the guards. So how did he manage it? A lot of people have claimed that he had paid the guards off – just like he had done previously. In fact, back in 2001, over a dozen prison workers were found guilty of aiding the prisoners escape. This time, it’s estimated that he spent around $50 million on his elaborate escape.

The prison was immediately put on lockdown and the nearby area was crawling with police within hours. Despite this, the criminal mastermind was nowhere to be seen. The manhunt which is still ongoing has spread to all areas of Mexico – with all potential airports and borders being on high alert.

So what do you think? Did Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman buy his way out of prison? Is $50 million a good price for his freedom? We’re not sure if or when he will be recaptured, but he managed to stay hidden for 12 years last time so only time will tell.

The fact that he managed to pull off TWO well executed prison escapes highlights the importance of good security. Here at AFS Security, we are a professional locksmith in East London who aims to provide you will high quality security solutions for your home and business. We understand that good security can give you peace of mind, so we make it our mission to help you with all your security needs.

For more information on our services, please contact us on 0208 471 9000. 

Recently we have been running a series that looked at some of the biggest robberies of all time. The criminals involved in these robberies were after money – and extremely large amounts of it. Highly secured vaults or banks were the main targets, with exceedingly organised groups carrying out the burglary attempts.

These burglaries are often high profile, with many of them being depicted in Hollywood films or written about in books. Whilst we find these interesting, there are a number of robberies that are even more fascinating. We’re talking the ones that are a little strange, or don’t quite make sense.  We thought that we would share some of our favourites with you.

Pick up a Penguin

Back in 2012, three English men found themselves in trouble whilst visiting the Gold Coast in Australia. Whilst drunk, they broke into Sea World by climbing over high security fences, and decided to swim with dolphins in the aquarium. Their fun didn’t end there though, as they accidently came across Dirk – a sleeping young penguin! Instead of leaving him where he was, the three men decided to penguin-nap the poor animal and took him home with them! The next day when they woke up and realised what they had done, they dumped him at a nearby lagoon. He was discovered soon after, confused and traumatised by his ordeal.

The men were found, put on trial and later fined. Dirk was returned to his friends and family in Sea World – luckily unharmed.  We’re not sure what came over the three men, but we assume they didn’t do it again!

Stealing Sand

Police in Jamaica were baffled when they were called out to a robbery, in which hundreds of tons of sand were stolen from a beach on the northern coast of the island. No arrests were carried out, and there were no witnesses – despite truckloads of the sand going randomly missing during the night. The police suspect that the tourism industry is to blame, as they believe that it would bring a lot of money for their businesses.

We don’t know who stole the sand – but we would love to know how it happened without anyone seeing anything! The police suspect a cover up – could they be right?

Alien Abduction

A 76 year lady was traumatised when she had her house broken into and her most prized possession stolen – a 3 foot tall extraterrestrial model. She had a life size replica of E.T – the famous alien from the 1982 Spielberg film ET. The lady, who lived in Portsmouth in the UK, was extremely upset – her daughter had spent around 3 months making it for her because ET was her all time favourite film.

A year later, coast guards were called to the coast of Old Portsmouth by a worried phone call which claimed that there was a dead body in the water. When they arrived, they were shocked to discover that it wasn’t a person, but in fact an alien! There was no need to contact Area 51 though, as it was only the ET replica that had been stolen a whole year before.

How did it end up in the water? Did the lady get it safely back? We don’t know but it’s still bizarre enough to end up on our list!

Keep checking back on our blog, as we will be delving into even more of these weird and wonderful burglaries. A penguin, a beach, and an alien – what could else is left?

To avoid any thefts happening in your home or office, AFS Security have you covered. As a high quality and affordable locksmiths in East London, we have a range of security solutions to keep you and your possessions safe. Contact us for more information by giving us a call on 0208 471 9000 and a member of staff will be happy to help. 

When you think of prison security, you imagine it as being of high quality. This is a place that has hundreds of violent and dangerous criminals inside – it’s obviously going to be impossible to break out of, right? As we will find out, this isn’t always the case.

As a locksmiths in Kent, we understand the meaning of good security. Our number one priority as a company is keeping you and your possessions safe, something that we do by providing some of the best security solutions available. It’s our obvious interest in security that makes some of these stories of prison escapes so fascinating.

We have decided to start a new series that will focus on some of the greatest prison escapes of all time. For locations that are meant to be some of the best secured buildings in the world – how on earth did these extraordinary breakouts happen? Read on as we delve into the world of some of the most baffling and daring prison escapes ever reported, starting with one man who simply walked out of a prison in America.

The Criminal

Frank Abagnale was a man who was infamous for committing a wide range of crimes, including bank fraud and forgery.

After being sentenced to 12 years in prison in 1971, Abagnale managed to pull off his greatest con ever.  After the U.S Marshal who was in charge of transporting him, forgot the detention papers, he came up with a brilliant idea – convince the prison guards that he was an undercover prison inspector. Frank was educated and well spoken, and had no trouble at all convincing the guards that he was a superior undercover. This meant he was treated well inside and was afforded a lot of extras.  This wasn’t enough for him though, and he soon came up with a brilliant idea.

The Escape

Wanting to escape, he contacted his friend Jean who posed as an undercover journalist doing an article on prisons, and managed to get hold of a prison inspector’s card. She also doctored the card of an FBI agent, and when visiting Frank, she slipped them both to him.

When the time came, he flashed his false ID at the guards and asked to speak to the FBI agent on the card. Unbelievably, the guards believed him and rang the number given to them – to which was answered by Jean. Claiming she needed to speak to him straight away outside of the prison, the guards simply let him go.

We’re not sure when they realised that their prisoner had just pulled the wool over their eyes and simply walked out of prison, but we’re sure Frank was laughing all the way to freedom. Well, for a few weeks – unfortunately for him, he was picked up a few weeks later after walking past an unmarked police car.

We can’t help it – we officially love prison break stories! Whilst we don’t like the thought of a criminal on the loose, they make fascinating reads. We hope that you found this are interesting to read as we found interesting to write! Keep on checking back, as there is plenty more to come!

Whilst we enjoy reading about how much security failed these prisons, we are confident that there is nothing lazy about our security. At AFS Security, we provide high quality and affordable security solutions for your home and business – meaning you don’t have to worry about feeling unsafe.

If you’re interested in our services, or you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can give us a call on 0208 471 9000 and a member of our helpful team will be happy to help you out.