My home is my castle. Actually, this is what we need. But actually, your house is just a toy that almost anyone with the right skill can break into. Your home does not always offer you security, usually just an illusion of security.
Door locks let you breathe a sigh of relief when you go on vacation and leave your house in the care of your goldfish. But in new homes, doors can often be opened with a common can opener. Any thief who really wants to get into your house will easily find their way in.
But, of course, we hope that you will rely on other methods of home security. We will report about it, because a real homeowner always relies on several levels of protection. Did you know that millions of apartments and houses are robbed in our country every year?
It is easy to become a victim of such a crime. Statistics are a bad thing. Moreover, you know that in times of economic crisis, the number of crimes always increases. Advice is essential, that’s why we decided to present you the best ways to invest in your own security.
From simple to complex, from cheap to expensive. And if you do not have your own home yet, save this article – it will definitely come in handy in the future. Maybe some of the advice seems outrageously simple at first glance, but it’s about the simple that we forget in the first place.
Think Like a Criminal: Time, Noise and Visibility
Every robber is looking for an opportunity. Usually, they are looking for a house that they can easily enter without being detected. Sociologists have found that the main factors that guide burglars when considering whether to clean your house are time, noise, and visibility.
Criminals need to enter and leave the house as quickly as possible. The longer they stay there, the more likely they are to be discovered. Someone will call the police, and their plan will be covered with something unpleasant.
And here is the funniest part: about 30% of all thefts occur through an unlocked door. Maybe you were just too lazy to close the door when you went to the store across the street or took out the trash. Or maybe you forgot to lock the garage or close the window?
Yes, every potential entry point into your home must be blocked. Stupidly closing all the cracks is the easiest way to protect your home from uninvited guests. Besides the time factor, burglars also pay attention to whether they can open the house completely unnoticed.
Barking dogs and a home security system draw the attention of burglars in an unwanted way because of the noise they make. Therefore, burglars often pass by houses with alarm systems. On the other hand, houses that are poorly lit at night or where there are many trees blocking the main entrance or windows, are a ready meal for any bad guy, because no one has broken the natural cover, and thieves always take advantage of it. Even if there is an angry dog in the house.
In general, you have already understood. Time, noise, visibility – this is what you should pay attention to if you want to increase the security of your home. What needs to be improved first? To understand this, you need to find the weak points of your house. Think like a criminal – this is not a hackneyed phrase from Hollywood crime shows, but the plain truth.
Think about the three factors we talked about above and start asking yourself questions:
- Are there places around my house that could serve as cover? Is my house well lit at night? Are there unlocked doors or windows in my house?
- Can I see the valuables in my house from the street? When is the best time to break into my home? Try to be fair to yourself and your home when asking these questions.
General security measures
Get to know your neighbors. Yes, this can be annoying. Your neighbors can be the most boring or intrusive people in the world, but you just have to get to know them. A nosy neighbor is a nuisance to almost every convicted burglar.
Thieves often forget that other people’s eyes can track their suspicious movements. Set up a security system. The study shows that homes without a security system are three times more likely to be burglarized than those with one.
The security system deters potential thieves by setting off an alarm. Hacking attempts remain only attempts. However, some of the systems allow you to automatically send a request to the police or security service. In some campaigns, the alarm system is upgraded to control lights or appliances in the home when you are not home.
For example, many homeowners talk about a system like “smart home.” Its connection offers many advantages. You can monitor your bedroom, your living room, the contents of your refrigerator (whatever!) in real time via the Internet.
Moreover, you do not have to be in Russia to do it. The signal of a house burglary can be received anywhere in the world. You can control the emergency call, which is very useful. After all, the signal can be false. For example, a yard cat climbed through the window and broke my grandmother’s vase. You are not going to call the police about that, are you? That’s what we thought.
If you can not afford a full security system, install a simple alarm that goes off every time you open the door. Many of these devices are quite inexpensive. You can also be tricky. For example, buy stickers for yourself or print them out on a printer: “This house is protected by a security system like this and that,” or something like that.
Sure, the stickers will not save you if you get robbed, but the thieves will probably reconsider their target. No one wants to mess with security systems. Buy a dog. But you should not rely on a dog as your primary means of home security.
The barking of a healthy dog will certainly make burglars think twice before breaking into your home, but they may ignore it. And if the dog fights at all, it may just protect you.
Darkness is the friend of every criminal. And these guys do not like bright light shining on them at all. Lighting should be designed so that your neighbors can see that guests have come to your house. You can put spotlights on the trees that turn on when someone passes nearby. Spotlights like these provide extra security, especially in dark areas of the yard.
Plus, all these lights not only deter potential thieves, but also help your friends and family find their way around safely. Be careful what you put in the trash can. Boxes of large purchases are best shredded with a knife and thrown away in cut-up form.
Do the same with checks and bills to prevent identity theft. Many people ignore this simple rule. And to no avail. Be careful who you invite into your home. No, we are not paranoid. But still, you should be on your guard when hiring movers, delivery services, handymen and the like.
Always demand documents and do not rely on your word of honor. Also be on your guard with builders. Hide valuables, never give them the key (they can make a duplicate), better give them access to the part of the house where they work.
Do not tell them your plans for vacations or weekends. And of course, if you still gave them your key, always change the lock at the end of work. Take a quick inventory every time your employees are about to leave. Be sure to check the condition of windows and doors.
It’s not uncommon for unscrupulous builders to open unseen entrances to come back for you later. If you have not hired anyone and they come rushing at you to provide some service, just send them away, and it’s better not to open the door in the first place.
And of course you should always, always close the doors and windows! Remember that 30% of all thefts happen because you simply leave your house open. We protect the doors
Keep your home in top condition. Regular cleaning and good maintenance are necessary not only so that you do not feel ashamed to invite friends. After all, if the house is well maintained, everyone understands that it is busy.
If the yard is cleared of autumn leaves, it is a signal that someone is at home. And when you trim shrubs or trees, you eliminate the possibility of hiding places for potential bad guys. Make sure the yard is well lit.
Protect the doors
To strengthen your first line of defense, you need to take the following measures:
- Make sure the hinges of all doors are on the inside of the house. If the hinges are on the outside, the burglars can easily break them open.
- Replace the guard plate. This is a metal rectangle on the inside of the door into which the crossbolt is inserted. When burglars break your door, it is usually this plate that breaks first. If you have an old house, it is best to replace the plate.
- Put the protective film on the windows.
- Doors with a lot of glass look nice, but they are not very stable. Of course, you can make a compromise. There is a special protective film. It works as follows the bastard hits the glass, hoping that it will break into small pieces. But he sees only cracked glass, which is held back by a film from the inside, barely visible. Of course, the glass can also be knocked out, but it is much more difficult to do.
- Check to make sure your door is firmly attached to the floor. Criminals can insert crowbars into the gap between the door and the frame to get rid of the hated door.
- Reinforce the French door. French doors look fantastic, but they have a few security flaws. In addition to being vulnerable, windows can be opened by a simple kick. There are kits that allow you to strengthen these doors.
Do not forget the locks, either. If you have just moved into a new apartment, be sure to change the locks. Generally, locks have different systems. Cylindrical or double cylinder locks are not bad. However, they are not without disadvantages.
In the event of a fire, such locks can trap you and your family. The key should always be at hand in this case. But beware, in some cities overseas, such locks are banned because of the risk of fire. At an affordable price, you can also find quite decent locks. In general, you need to pay attention to your wallet and preferences here.
Protect windows
Always lock your windows, even if you live on the 13th floor. Burglars generally do not like to break them open.
- Put a protective film on every window. This will spoil the mood of the bad guys who were expecting to break the window with a hammer blow.
- Grills. Bars are our everything. Our country cannot do without them. But many prefer not to install them for esthetic reasons. Our opinion is: if you live on the second floor, they are simply necessary. There are also grilles that can be quickly removed by pressing a stub on the inside of the house. But it is not cheap. But you can always get out of the house through the window.
- Use shutters and curtains. Burglars often look out the windows to find out which houses bring the highest profit for their criminal work. So do not worry that you bought a new plasma TV, and block the entire view from the street with thick curtains.
- Thorny bushes and cacti on the windowsill. Think that will not help? You have probably never stepped in a cactus, dude. Plus, blood, skin, and torn clothing can be used to track down the bad guy.
Protect the garage
- Keep the garage doors closed. Yes, we repeat this over and over again. An open garage with a car, bikes or tools visible just screams “rob me!”.
- Make sure the other garage doors are locked tight as well.
If you left your car on the street, never leave the garage key in it. The car is also easy to break into. And the burglars’ tactics are by no means unique. They break into your car, take the keys to the garage door – and say goodbye to the cool stuff you have accumulated in your stash over the years. Always take the keys with you!
When you are on vacation
Rest time is a gold digging time for criminals. Everyone goes to the sea, the mountains, skiing or fishing at the lake. But how do you make your home safe right now so as not to spoil your vacation? Here is what you should do: Ask your neighbor to clean up your yard once in a while.
But do it in such a way that he will not send you to hell. For example, invite him over for a good beer. When you leave, your neighbor can play an important role in keeping your home safe.
- Empty your mailbox. If it’s clogged with mail and newspapers, it’s a sure sign that the homeowner has been away for a long time. Therefore, before leaving the house, give the appearance that someone is always home. Also, ask a neighbor to pick up your correspondence.
- You do not have to take your dog with you. Leave him at home. And again, let the neighbor feed it. Therefore, you should have a good relationship with him. In extreme cases, you can pay extra for the hassle.
- You can set a timer on electrical appliances. Many things have this function. Alarm clock, TV, computer, music system. Have them turn on at a specific time. This is a good way to fool criminals.
- Many security systems offer the ability to turn on the lights in your house from your smartphone. This is handy when you are resting a thousand miles away. Safe around the head In movies, you often see a criminal breaking open a safe and taking out the valuables accumulated over many years.
Therefore, many people think that the safe is a waste of money for the homeowner. But in reality, everything is quite different. Modern safes are strong enough and of high quality to protect your money and the things you care about from any misfortune.
Of course, they all have different price and functionality. When you buy a safe for yourself, and we recommend you to do so, pay attention to its appearance and choose what you want to store in it according to that. Depending on their function, safes are divided into fire-resistant, burglar-resistant, and fireproof. The names speak for themselves.
We advise you to buy fireproof safes because they can protect your money not only from thieves, but also from flames. A good homeowner is ready for anything. When buying a safe, always ask about the burglary and fire resistance class (the higher, the better), the values of which were developed by GOST.