How to Increase Your Home Security

How to Increase Your Home Security Increase your home's security without spending anything. 1 Try and think like a burglar. Try and pretend to be a burglar, and think of ways that burglar would break into your home. Study your home and observe any weaknesses within its security . 2 Always lock your doors. Even if you may have lived in the house nearly all your life, when and where it was okay to leave your doors unlocked for the neighbours. That was then, this is sadly now. 3 Lock all the windows. Ground level windows and sliding doors are easier to open from the outside. 4 Lock the patio/sliding door. Never leave the patio/sliding doors unlocked at night or when going out. The patio/sliding door can provide easy access to burglars. 5 Lock your garage doors. Garage doors can sometimes provide easy/hidden access into your home via the garage. So treat them just like any other door; make sure they are always locked properly, and especially the door that leads from your garage into your house. 6 Your New home, may need new locks. When moving into a new property, it may be sensible to change all the locks, as you never know who has a copy of your keys. 7 Always leave the lights, TV, or radio on. When you go out, leave a light on in any room in the house or buy a light timer to automatically turn lights on/off at scheduled times. This gives the impression that someone is in the house, and makes the burglar hesitate about trying to break in. 8 Never, ever leave notes on the door. For example: "Hi, if you are delivering my parcel, I won't be home today please leave my package at the rear of the house." Any potential burglar will definitively know that you are out all day and won’t be home all day. That is 4-6 hours to break into your house, and they don’t need very long to break in and steal your most treasured possessions. 9 Always close your curtains. Keep your curtains closed in rooms where you have expensive equipment. As this will give burglars the perfect view into your home and make their efforts all the more rewarding. 10 Always report strange things to the Police. If you see a strange car keep driving passed/through your neighbourhood/road several times during the day then try and take their details type of car and registration number and report it to the Police! If someone is parked in your street for a long time, again report it! And a removals van parked at your neighbours house, and ask if they aren’t moving why the van, it may be a good idea to report it! 11 Install security lighting in your garden. It is always harder for a burglar to break in to your house if there are lights placed at all the entry points to your house. 12 Install an alarm system. If a burglar managed to break into your house, an alarm system would deter him from proceeding further. And alarm others that your alarm has been triggered. 13 Change your lock if you ever lose your key/s. As someone else may have picked it up and will try it on the local houses. 14 Always ensure that your garden hedges are trimmed and cut to below the level of your window sills. 15 Get yourself a dog. A dog barking (sometimes) can serve as a warning and attract passer-by/neighbours attention, something that burglars will always try to avoid. 16 Never leave a spare key. It is not sensible to leave a spare key anywhere around your home, especially in obvious places such as under the door mat or plant pots in the garden. Burglars look in all these places these days. 17 Install security fittings/locks on your doors and windows. Especially if homes in your local area have been broken into recently . These types of security fittings will prevent burglars from trying to break into your home through windows. 18 Buy a safe. A good safe can help protect your most precious and sentimental valuables but also all your important paperwork, cheque books, bank statements and financial records. Extra Tips When buying any appliance such as a new TV, do you just throw the box outside for the refuge men? If so, this means that anyone can just drive by and see a new TV box by your rubbish bins and then know you have a new TV and enough money to buy one. Cut and mow your lawn on a regular basis. If a potential thief/burglar passes by and sees that the grass is not cut and that your post and newspapers are still lying on the porch, he instinctively sees an opportunity. As he thinks nobody is home or nobody even cares. This is especially important when going away on holiday or away with friends and family. Always ask your neighbours if they would collect your post, or ask the post office to hold onto your mail for collection. Cut and mow your lawn before you go, and ensure your house looks secure by making it look lived in and inhabited. People being at home or just looking like it is, means that the burglar will move onto an easier property to try and break into. Thieves want an easy job, not a hard one, to make easy money. So don't give them a chance to do it. If somebody calls and knocks on your door, and says they are doing a home security survey, make sure you always say that you have a security system already in place and connected to the fire service and the police, as well as smoke detectors and fire extinguishers located around your home. Why? Because you never know who is calling and asking you. It is easier for a potential burglar to pose as a telemarketer to get the vital information they need to quantify your property as worthwhile or not. Simple and effective home security is mostly common sense. So always ensure you keep your wallet in your pocket and some money in your other pocket and house keys separate. How to answer your door safely Forcibly entering a home to commit robbery/burglary or any other crime whilst the occupant is present - is a frightening ordeal, personally threatening, and can happen anywhere. Sadly, this type of robbery is commonplace. Criminals tend to gain entry by posing as legitimate visitors. The following tips below try and show you how to identify a potentially dangerous caller before you open the door to them. Because once he/she enters your home, it is then often too late to try and do anything about it. 1 Think before you open the door. Are you actually expecting anyone? Are they, or do they have any form of ID that confirms they are, who they say they are? Do they have an appropriately-marked car or van parked outside? As you could now be alone and vulnerable? 2 Use a spyhole or security chain when checking who is at your door. Look and check to see who the visitor is. Look through your spyhole or make sure your security chain is locked and open your door just slightly. If you don't recognize the person at your door ask them their business and request that they show their form of ID. If they have a legitimate reason to be on the premises (i.e. they work for your utility company), they will and should always be happy to show you their ID. If you are still unsure and afraid to let them in, ask them to come back later and have a friend come over when they are scheduled to return. 3 Whilst the door is still locked, ask the person for ID. If the person claims to be from, let’s say for example, your local electric company, and you've not been told that someone is coming, then call that company to check that they are who they say they are. Even if he/she shows you ID, it is still a good idea to call and check them out. As his/her ID could be a fake one. Look up their telephone number in your phone book and ensure you don't call a number that the visitor gives you, as it will more likely belong to their accomplice/s. 4 Take your phone or cell phone to the door with your finger near a speed dial that automatically calls the emergency services (999 here in the UK). Be careful that you do not push the number accidentally in the event the visitor/caller is actually friendly. 5 If you are really unsure. Take a photo of the caller and his/her car and secure/hide your camera before opening your door. 6 If you feel uncomfortable after letting someone in, then simply leave the house under pretence if needed. If you've done all you can to verify a person's ID but you start to feel uncomfortable/uneasy after you’ve let the visitor/caller in the house, make an excuse to leave the house and go to a neighbour's home or call the police immediately. If you feel threatened at any point, do not worry or panic about being rude or impolite – get out of the house as soon as possible and call the police as quickly as you can. 7 Never answer the door if you are feeling vulnerable. Useful Telephone Numbers In an emergency call: 999 For Non Emergency please call your local police station: 101 crimestoppers: 0800 555 111 Useful Websites http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/ http://www.safe.met.police.uk/ http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/