Fortunately, most burglaries are committed by amateurs or opportunists. It is much easier to be one step ahead of these types of burglars by following some straightforward advice. Don’t think it will happen to you? Don’t you believe it. There has never been a better time to be more home security aware. Act now and don’t wait the until unfortunate happens.
If you were the burglar, how would you break into your own home? Get into the mind of the burglar and take action to improve any weaknesses in the security of your home.
Always lock all of the doors and windows when you leave you house. This may sound obvious, but many people don’t do this so the burglar can simply just walk in through your unlocked door or window.
Give the appearance that your house is occupied and use timers on lights, leave radios on, especially in the evening when its dark.
If you have a security system that keeps going off, get it fixed. Your neighbors will simply ignore it.
If you need to let anyone into your house such as tradesmen or a house cleaner then make sure you vet them. Check their references and make sure the person is honest and trustworthy.
If you have a security system, make sure all wiring is concealed and cannot be tampered with. A burglar will look for these weaknesses where they can easily disable your security system.
When you move into a new house be sure that you change all of the locks as you don’t know who still has a key to your property.
In case we lock ourselves out, we all like to keep a spare key to hand, either under the doormat or in a mailbox. This is not a good idea as thieves look in these places too.
Cut down all of your overgrown trees and shrubbery otherwise it provides a good shelter for a burglar when breaking into your property.
Do not list your full name in the telephone book or mailbox. Only use your initial and your last name.
When someone knocks on your door such as a salesman, ask for their ID. If in doubt then check with the persons company before letting them in.
We like to leave notes on our front doors for friends or for people that we expect to be visiting. Beware as this provides useful information for burglars.
Burglars are put off if they think they will be seen breaking into a property so fit exterior security lighting with a motion sensor.
Make the neighbors aware if you will be on holiday for long periods of time so they can watch over your property.
Discuss with your neighbors if you see any strange people or suspicious cars lurking around.
A dog is a great deterrent to the burglar. They do not like attention drawn to their attempts to break in.
If you haven’t got them fit deadbolts to your doors. If you door is secured by a simple spring latch then its not secure and is an easy target for burglars.
If you ever lose your keys then change all of the locks in your property immediately.
Mark up your tools and garden equipment with paint. This will deter burglars from stealing them as they can be easily identified.
If a person comes knocking on your door to use your phone then don’t let then in and make the call for them yourself.
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1 comment:
This is a great article on things to consider when selecting a home security system. Having just purchased one myself – and having had great experiences thus far – I wanted to share with readers.
I ultimately went with FrontPoint Security Solutions (attaching the link I used in case others are interested: http://www.frontpointsecurity.com/specials/slce-1125-StandOutFromCrowd ). I liked their service for a number of reasons that you touch on: the service was DIY, self-install, so after only 30 minutes of pretty straightforward work, I was off and running with a home monitoring system. Their control panel also communicates via cellular link (no additional charge, like some of the others I reviewed), so I felt as if I had an “insurance policy” against a burglar disabling my phone line. You know – not just an expensive noisemaker, but something that will really keep my property safe while I am away. Anything that is dependent on a landline is nothing more than an expensive noisemaker, and that is what is offered by most folks like ADT (unless you want to pay a huge pound of flesh--ask them about their "cellular upgrade fees)!
Unlike many providers like ADT and Brinks, I can also control the security system remotely – for only $7 per month, whereas the services weren’t even offered by many of FrontPoint’s competitors. I receive SMS and email updates each time the door opens. I can view an activity log via my FrontPoint account. And, given that videocameras are part of my interactive services, I can watch my house (even my dog!) remotely.
For me, the big drivers of my decision were reliability (FrontPoint’s status as a GE Security preferred dealer and Alarm.com preferred dealer didn’t hurt) and cost-effectiveness (I get a cellular-based home monitoring system, with interactive services and videocamera, which are either not available or only available at lots of extra cost from alternatives I looked at). And I service the system myself – no technician, no cost.
Just wanted to share my experiences – hope this helps other folks.
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