WHEN you own property your attention inevitably turns to how to protect it, how to keep the things you value and the people you care for safe. In Jamaica the question is often, “Grille or cameras?”

The good news is that technological advances have long moved us past the days of burglar bars that look and make you feel as if you’re in jail. In addition, security systems are now easier to install and use, and as long as you have Internet access you can effortlessly keep an eye on your property from anywhere in the world.

According to suppliers of both security measures, clients now typically opt for a combination of the two.

“I don’t think you should use one instead of the other; all of these things complement your business or your home security, they both have their pros and cons. In both cases, they act as deterrents. If there’s a grille over a window it takes a much longer time for an intruder to get inside. If a camera is visibly on the outside, looking at the building, then the perpetrator may think twice in terms of wanting to attempt to break in,” Hawkeye’s General Manager for Sales and Business Development Stephen Roomes told the Jamaica Observer.

Janor Grant, who handles public relations for Nicholson Welding Fabrication that has been doing beautiful metalwork, agreed that grilles and cameras should be used in tandem.

“In Jamaica you don’t put cameras on a house that you don’t grille. It’s not a competition; each thing has its purpose,” he said.

Understandably, both men stressed the advantages of the products they offer. Roomes pointed to the effectiveness of cameras in identifying an intruder while Grant argued that it takes a lot more time and effort to get past grilles.

Both agreed that grilles can be a fire hazard, trapping occupants inside unless certain measures are put in place.

Roomes suggested having a hinge system on grilles in one or two bedroom windows so occupants can use them as emergency exits, while Grant suggested an entryway grille that uses a locking mechanism which includes an electrical magnet.

“I’ve seen it being done in most establishments, even though there are bolts on the gate. We do know if it loses power, though, the intruder will also be able to gain access that way, unless you have backup power. But that’s the same for all other security measures that rely on electrical power,” he said.

The incorporation of magnetic locks is just one of the ways in which the metalwork market has changed over the years. New welding techniques have also emerged which have helped Nicholson Welding Fabrication make a name for itself within a very short time. The company was established in 2022.

“The new welding plants now come in sizes that you can hang across your waist. You can go up high; you’re able to install jobs in areas that were unreachable before. Combined with the different TIG- and MIG-welding apparatus and the arc welding services, that’s what is bringing forth the change in the industry,” explained Grant.

TIG stands for tungsten inert gas and is technically called gas tungsten arc welding, while MIG welding works by feeding a metal wire through a gun to melt and create a permanent joint. In addition to these advances, there has also been a change in the type of material used.

“The new high-strength and lightweight alloys are becoming more commonplace. These materials provide unique welding challenges but offer superior performance, driving the need for specialised welding techniques and equipment,” said Grant.

“With the alloys and those precious metals that we use now in the industry we can put even art in our work; we do it with the angles and the type of bends that we are now able to do. Before, it was just steel and it had these big bends in it,” he added.

They are now also able to improve on old ideas.

“They might have had the idea before and tried it with the materials that were available back then and it didn’t come out the way they wanted it. What we do is look at that design, go back to the drawing board, try it with some different materials, and if we like the finished product the customers will definitely see what we see,” said Grant.

Their clients are mostly in St Catherine and Kingston, but according to Grant they have also done work for customers in Portland, St Elizabeth, and Westmoreland.

From its location in Passage Fort, Portmore, with a skeleton crew of about three staff plus project-based workers as needed, Nicholson Welding Fabrication has been leveraging industry innovations to produce work that captures Grant’s firm belief that “beauty can also be strength”.

“This is welding, yes, and it’s a grille but there is something that we can do to let it stand out. It’s a good way of protecting your home and it’s also unique,” he told the Sunday Observer.

He said 23-year-old welder Shavone Nicholson, after whom the company is named, and his mentor who they affectionately call Wire, are the ones who usually come up with the designs that have created quite a stir on social media.

“For the most part, it’s a mixture of older and new designs symmetrically placed on our works. We just work together in order to produce the best outcome. We have to match the clients’ money because in Jamaica the work has to look like the money, so we try our best,” said Grant with a chuckle.

In addition to burglar bars, the company produces garbage receptacles and gates.

For them, though, burglar bars will always be a staple product.

“Security should be practical, so burglar bars are always a good option,” said Grant.

The design determines project duration and cost.

“We have a flexible price range. It’s based on what you choose, depending on what the client needs.”

For many people mulling the idea of installing grilles, a camera system, or both, cost is one of the factors that have to be examined. Both approaches incur a one-off installation fee and, according to Roomes, the price tag may be similar depending on the size of the project.

“If it’s two or three cameras and you’re grilling, say, a dozen windows, it’s going to be almost the same cost or even more,” he said.

Of course, it gets a bit pricier the more cameras added, and if you’re adding a bank of them for a commercial or industrial property.