How to Make Your Home Safe From Burglary

Keeping doors locked helps prevent burglaries.

By making small changes around your home, you can help deter criminals from approaching or casing your home for their next crime. Creating a secure home is important while you are at home and while you are away at work, school, and vacation. Make your home a safer, more secure place for you and your family.

Instructions

1. Securing doors that go to the outside is very important. Having secure locks on all outgoing doors is vital in keeping your home as safe as possible. Locking these doors when leaving the home helps assure that only you and your family members can come and go from your home. Locking doors when at home assures additional safety in your home. Doors should be solid core wood or metal. Deadbolt locks should have a 1-inch throw bolt. Peep holes should be at a level that all persons in the home, including children, can see through. Sliding glass doors should include a secondary lock or blocking device that keeps the door from sliding open if the locking mechanism is compromised. This can be as simple as a large wooden dowel or broomstick placed on the inside track that prevents the sliding door from opening. Security company stickers placed in visible areas on doors helps prevent criminals from trying to break in for fear of tripping the alarm system.

2. Windows are not to be overlooked when securing your home from a potential burglary. Secondary blocking devices are highly recommended, especially during warm weather when windows are left open to let in cool air. For vertical windows, a blocking pin through the frame can be installed. For horizontal windows, an inexpensive dowel can be used to block the window from being opened past a certain point. A good width to keep a window open, while keeping out a criminal, is 6 inches. Again, alarm company stickers on all windows helps deter criminals from trying to enter a home.

3. Keeping entryways well lit or installing motion lights in these areas adds to the security of your home. Criminals like to be where they are not seen, so if all the accessible areas to your home are lit up or light up when approached, it will help make your home more secure. When you're away, put a few indoor lights on timers. This fools some criminals into thinking there is someone home when they see the light out at one time of the day and back on at another time.

4. Having an alarm system installed can be well worth the money invested. As mentioned previously, the stickers alone can deter some criminals. There are do-it-yourself alarm systems that can be purchased and installed. These alarms typically sound when the property is compromised. An alarm system installed by a company usually includes a service that notifies the company and emergency personnel when the property is compromised. Both help deter criminals from burglarizing your home.

References

• Crime Doctor: Home Security

Resources

• Alarm System Store