Home security precautions can make a significant difference in the contentment of the whole family.  The local officials are often overwhelmed by the crime in a local community so the citizens need to be responsible for basic security measures for their family and personal property.  Ideally the local police force should make sure that all the criminals are off the street so people do not need burglar alarms, but the criminals are out there.  Fortunately, home security is so important that there is assistance available to the citizens intent on protecting their valuables.

Home security should be based on a plan that the leader of the family works out with the help of family members and the experts from the community.  The tools that are available are also a great help to the plan for home security.  The leader in charge of security for each family should study the recommendations from the local police and fire departments.  These experts know the typical problems, and they usually have publications that describe the measures citizens should take for their home security plans.  The leader in charge of the security plan should also find out about the potential dangers in the area and make special plans to combat those dangers.

Home Security Should Include Plans for All Possibilities

People know that they should have fire alarms so they usually make sure that they have these devices in place and in working order.  This should be one of the first parts of their plan for home security.  The planner for the security of the family should think about all of the members of the family.  Young children require special arrangements to make sure that they remain safe.  The planner needs to think about the placement of harmful substances when small children are involved.  Elderly people also need special consideration in a home security plan.  The elderly often fall and hurt themselves on area rugs that are not secure. 

Many tools are available for the leader in the plan for home security.  There are fire alarms, fire extinguishers, burglar alarms and other tools to help provide security.  The planner can use these devices and the instructions that come with them to help provide the needed security.  There are now home security services that will come in to asses the needs of each individual home.  These experts can make recommendations and a plan that their company can implement after the initial assessment.

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Odds are pretty good that if you live in your home for five years or more you will be the victim of a burglary or home invasion-the distinction is whether the home is occupied or not. A home invasion is entry, forced or not, when the home is occupied.

In 2004 the Bureau of Justice reported that:

-77% of all crime was property related

-17% of all crime domiciles were violated by a burglar

-85% of all burglaries the offender gained entry into the house or other building.

A property crime occurs every 3 seconds, a home burglary every 15 seconds-pretty scary statistics.

The good news is that 90% of all burglaries and home invasions are preventable by following some basically common sense tactics. Think about it. If you were a burglar what would be looking for in a target to rob. Believe it or not most burglars are pretty smart and are only looking for easy targets not difficult challenges. After all it is no fun getting caught.

He’d look for a certain amount of seclusion-privacy so he couldn’t be seen coming or going.

He’d look for a lot of cover so he couldn’t be seen entering the residence-bushes, trees etc.

He’d look for a place that was attractive -windows so he could see into the house to see what was available for him to steal.

He’d look for a residence that was in relative darkness. Light is certainly not the friend of a burglar.

He’d look for signs-literal signs that advertise if a place is protected in any way. Signs from a security company, NRA membership signs, “Beware of guard dog”, “Neighborhood Watch” signs etc.

He’d also look for any obvious deterrent such as surveillance cameras, bars on lower windows.

He’d look for a pattern of the homeowner leaving windows or garage doors open.

When any self respecting burglar does his job he is looking for several elements when he “cases” prospective targets. He needs time, darkness, and of course a reason to rob a residence-merchandise. The “look” of your house is very important to a burglar too. If you take steps to make the residence “unattractive” to a burglar chances are pretty good he will pass your residence and choose someone more vulnerable.

Chances are very good that you are reading this because in some way crime has touched your life or you want to be proactive and protect yourself, family, home, or business from the ravages of crime. That is the first step.

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Burglaries happen all the time. They happen to all kinds of people, and they happen all over the world. The burglar is looking to get something valuable for free by just taking it out of your home and then usually selling it on the black market or to shady merchants for a fraction of what it is worth. Since the stolen merchandise costs them nothing to begin with, this arrangement works well for them. But it doesn’t work well for you, the home owner. So home security has become an important issue for many to help combat and even prevent burlary attempts in the first place.

There are some very effective methods that have been used in recent years to help improve home security and reduce the chances that your home will be selected as a possible target for an intrusion. If you put yourself in the mind of a burglar, you can begin to spot things that would either invite them into your home or cross your home off as not worth the effort. The easier that you make it for a burglar the higher your chances for having it happen. Conversely, the more difficult it is for a burglar to get in and out of your home quickly and easily without being seen, the less chance that you will ever have to deal with this problem.

One of the most effective methods of home security is a neighborhood watch program. Not one in name only, but a real, true participation by the neighbors in an area or on a street to police their own homes and keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior. If you are away from home, ask your neighbors to pick up your mail for you, or have it kept at the post office so it doesn’t begin to pile up and become obvious that your are away from home.

Having an automated system for turning on lights and appliances like a radio or television that can be heard, and making sure that they come on at random times is another good way to help give the impression that someone is indeed home even when you are not there for extended periods of time.

Another good practice is to keep your tools locked up in a shed, especially any ladders as they have often been used in burglaries to help gain access to upper windows that also may be left unlocked or even open. Keeping your own tools out of sight forces the burglar to have to bring their own, and the more they have to carry with them, the harder the job will be to accomplish.

So try to make a burglar’s job as hard as possible and you will be going a long way toward burglary prevention.

Jim Johnson writes on many consumer related topics including home security. You can find out more about home security systems by visiting our Home Security Review website.

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