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Keep the
lights on. It’s a good idea to invest in security lighting.
If your home or yard is kept lit at night, it’s a definite burglar
deterrent. When lighting your home, it’s important not to make it
blaze so brightly it bothers the neighbors — but a down-light over your
garage and front doors, up-lights beneath windows, and a few well-placed
outdoor lamps in the yard can go a long way toward discouraging most
break-ins.
Get
a good home security system. The best home security systems
have an alarm that automatically alerts the police. Motion
detectors are useful to install in your yard — turn them on before you
go to bed at night so they don’t go off when you and your family are
outside during the day.
Have a thick door with a deadbolt.
Your door should be in good repair. It should fit its frame well,
with no chinks and no soft or rotting wood in the frame. The best
lock in the world won’t keep a burglar out if your door isn’t strong as
well. You should have a deadbolt — never rely on those doorknob
locks. Get a peephole, preferably a wide-angle one, installed in
your door. It’s much safer than using a chain — strong burglars
can break those chains and push you aside to get in.
If you have a garage, this also
applies to the door that leads from it to the inside of your house.
Garage doors are often flimsy, with cheap locks. Make sure the
door that goes into your house from your garage is just as strong as
your outside-access doors, with the same strong deadbolts and peephole.
If you have sliding glass doors,
you’ve probably noticed the locks are weak. Don’t depend on a
stick set in the door channel. Go to your local hardware
store and see what they have for strong locks for these doors.
Don’t make it obvious you’re away.
When you go out-of-town, don’t close your blinds any more than you
usually do. Have the post office hold all mail and packages so it
doesn’t collect outside your door. Ask a friend to collect
hand-delivered circulars from your doorstep. If you’re going to be
gone for longer than a week, pay someone you trust to mow your lawn.
Many people install timers on the
lights in their homes, and set them to go on and off at appropriate
times to make it look like you’re home. There are lots of other
ways to do this as well, like installing motion-sensor lights outside of
your house and putting your radio and TV on a timer so that they go on
and off, as well.
Get a home security safe. If
you have anything especially valuable in your house — jewelry or
important documents, for example — protect them with a home security
safe. These can go a long way toward protecting your peace of
mind, as well as your belongings.
Don’t show off tempting items.
Open your blinds and look in your windows — from the street as well as
from your yard. Can you see a television, a computer, stereo
equipment, or any other valuables from your windows? If so, you may be
advertising to burglars without knowing it. Make sure nobody from
outside can see any valuable objects in your house.
Also, don’t leave anything outside in your
yard that can be carried off — it makes too tempting a target for even
casual thieves. Watch your windows. Make sure your windows
are strong and in good repair — including the frames. In addition,
it’s a bad idea to put a window-mounted air conditioner in a window on
the ground floor — these can be easy to push out. It’s a good idea
to trim shrubs and trees near windows, as these can provide cover for
burglars.
Be
careful with your keys. Don’t keep your keys on a ring with
your home address anywhere on it. And don’t hide an extra key
under the doormat, in that flowerpot by the door, or anywhere else
outside. You may think you’ve found the perfect hiding place, but
most burglars know where to look. Think about getting a key safe.
Contact your local police.
Often, the police will send someone to assess your house and recommend
the steps you should take to make your home safer. This is a good
thing to do anytime you move into a new house, or if there have been
robberies at other homes in your area recently.
Keep your house from being a tempting
target. Don’t help burglars rob you by keeping your house dark
at night, keeping expensive items by the window, or neglecting your
windows and doors. Follow these simple tips, and your home will be
much less inviting to criminals — and much safer. |