Burglar Proof Your Home

On the surface, a home burglary may appear random, but keep this in mind - the criminal behind the burglary chose your house for a reason. Maybe it’s because you were at work or on vacation, and the house was empty and dark. Perhaps shrubs and trees in your property looked like an appealing getaway route to the criminal. It’s quite possible that the perpetrator was looking for the first open window, door or garage on the street, and your house was the first to meet the requirements. Whatever the reason, there are things you can do to defend your home from the common criminal.

Doors & Locks
The most common way a burglar enters the home is through an unlocked front, back or garage door. So, the first step in defending your home against unforced entry is to lock your doors, even when you are at home. The second step is to make sure your door is strong, and that your lock set is secure. Here are some guidelines to follow when checking and/or replacing doors and locks:

• To help prevent forced entry, use a solid core or metal door at all points of entry (as opposed to wooden or glass-paneled doors)
• A wide-angle, 160° peephole on the door about 58 inches from the ground helps screen visitors to the home
• Heavy-duty grade-1 or grade-2 commercial locks offer better protection than the standard grade-3 residential lock, and should be used on exterior doors to help defend against lock prying and picking
• Deadbolts with a beveled casing defend against pliers that can destroy lock cylinder pins
• A knob-in-lock set with a dead-latch mechanism helps prevent burglars from opening the lock with a credit card or other device

Windows
Another simple way a burglar can enter the home is through an unlocked or open window. Ground floor windows are the easiest target, and second-story windows become tempting if it looks like a tree, fence or balcony can provide easy access into the home. If the open window is noticeable from the street, the odds of a burglar choosing your home greatly improve. While it’s unreasonable to keep windows closed and locked at all times, you can make them more secure by following a few preventative measures:

• Closed and locked windows become more difficult to pry open when a wooden or metal pole is lodged between the window and the frame
• If you can reach through an open window and unlock a door, you should consider keeping the window closed and locked more often than others in the house
• For windows that slide horizontally, install anti-lift devices to prevent the window from being lifted out of the frame
• Affix theft prevention or home security alarm signs to windows at street level for maximum exposure

Lighting
The next step in burglar-proofing your home is to make sure the house is well lit. Most homeowners think this only applies to the exterior of the home, but it’s just as important to keep certain parts of the interior lit at different points throughout the night. As for the exterior, using lights with motion sensors can deter snooping burglars and alert you of activity around the perimeter of the home. Here are a few items to consider before setting up your lighting system:

• Use light-timers inside the home on a regular basis to create an appearance of constant activity
• Motion sensors are an effective and efficient way to illuminate the pathway leading to your house, the front door, the garage door and the rear of the house
• Security lights on the exterior of the home should provide at least 100- feet of visibility

Alarm Systems
A comprehensive home defense plan is complete when the residence is equipped with a home security system. Once the home alarm is installed, a thorough risk assessment will determine how many burglar alarm decals you’ll need to cover the most vulnerable areas of the house. Interior motion detectors and outdoor security (by means of video surveillance) can provide additional protection. A few things about monitored security systems:

• When combined with visible signage, alarm systems are a powerful burglar deterrent
• For maximum effectiveness, the alarm system should have an audible siren or bell
• Always keep your alarm response call list is up to date
• Let your neighbors know if and how they should respond to your alarm when it’s triggered
• Be sure your alarm system is professionally installed, programmed, and maintained throughout the year
• Most companies include carbon monoxide monitoring and fire security in an affordable security system package

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