Make your home burglary proof
Statistics show that a burglary happens every 15 seconds. This is quite an alarming figure. Burglary in the UK is currently high that the Home Office Ministry set up a total of £6.5 million to help 129 high risk communities protect their homes from possible burglaries by the installation security alarm systems. Local handy men assessed and equipped more than 60,000 homes, mostly owned by the elderly or single parent families. The project is called the Safer Homes Fund.
Not everyone can afford to have a security alarm system installed in their homes. Although there are security alarm systems that are affordable, there are other reasons why not all homes can be fitted in by one. The Home Office cannot readily equip the rest of the UK with security alarms. However, fitting your house with an alarm system isn't the only answer on how to improve security of your home. There are certain ways and means to keep your house tighter, security wise.
What is the best way to deter burglars from victimizing your home? Consider breaking into your own house. If you can do the job, then so can a burglar. You have to make breaking-in your house harder. It may be hard to believe but most burglars enter through unlocked doors and window. Here are a few things that you should practice for improving the security of your home.
Make it hard for a burglar to target your home. There many ways to make entering your home (from a burglar's point of view) harder. Change locks if you have just moved in your house. Have a qualified locksmith look at your existing door knobs and locks and have them upgraded. Install dead bolts and padlocks if you must but make sure you and everyone in the house know where the keys are. Secure your windows by installing double locks and impact-resistant window panes. You can also choose to mount an audio alarm on windows and glass doors. If there are trees near your house's perimeter, cut down any low-lying trees to deter a burglar from climbing up the tree to get inside your house. Secure garage and deck doors. Put in additional locks if you must.
Use common sense precaution to tighten up your house's security. Always lock the doors and windows when you leave the house. There are some homeowners who routinely leave second floor windows open when they leave the house. This should not be done as open doors and windows are like great invitations to "please come inside". Have a peephole installed in your main door so you can have a look on the caller before you open the door. Don't keep a spare key under the flower pot by the main door. It's the first place where the burglar would look for the spare. Keep the outside of your house well-lighted. Dark spots are a burglar's favourite.
Don't tell anyone outside your family your daily routine. You can never be too careful. If you lose your set of home keys, replace all locks immediately. Don't tell other people about the valuables in your house. Don't go overboard about telling whoever it is who cares to listen about your wonderful silverware and crystal collections. If you have children in the house, educate them about home security. Teach your children not to let strangers inside your home nor answer questions from them.
Even if you are just outside in the yard, lock all doors and windows too. You can never be too safe. Stop advertising what you just bought by displaying the packaging of your recent purchase out by the garbage area. Breakdown the packaging and put it in your trash bins.
Try planting thorny bushes by your ground floor window. This would deter to some degree burglars from hiding by the bushes or by entering the windows.
When you plan on being away for a day or two have all phone calls to your home forwarded to your cellular phones. Burglars sometime check if someone is home by calling up the intended target house first. Have a trusted friend or neighbour pick up the newspaper and mail. Don't try to stop the deliveries as that would make it all the more obvious that no one is home. If you are leaving for more than 3 days, have a relative or close friend house-sit for you. This should take care of the garbage can dilemma when garbage day comes. If you can't have someone house-sit for you, again, ask a trusted neighbour to do the favour.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, don't turn it off if you'll be away. There's all the more reason for you to turn it on. If you have automatic lights control, set them up too. If you don't have one, again, ask your friendly neighbour to. If you will be out for a real extended trip, tell your local police so they could check your house periodically.
Install a security alarm system. There are different security alarm systems that are available in the market. Some are quite inexpensive but effective to a point. There are other systems that are so over the top in terms of technology used that installing one is not worth it as it would probably cost more than your house's contents. The ideal is for you to have your house assessed by a qualified professional so suggestions could be made as to the type of security alarm that best fits your home.
Improving the security of your house is not irrelevant matter. Take time to seriously adapt these security measures. Know your options in improving the security of your home.