6. More practical security tips

A continuation of the previous 10 tips to help ensure you have adequate security measures in place.

1. A good thing to do at the very least once a year is take a walk around and through your property with a close friend or neighbor who is not too familiar with your house.
Start outside and ask yourself “how would I best break in? The purpose of not doing it alone is your pal may spot things you’ll overlook. Return the favour and complete a survey for your friend. This is a cost effective way of getting some lateral thinking going.

2. The old routine uhm routine – Besides the obvious “lived-in” look, don’t get into a habit of only doing certain things only when you’re not home. Chances are good you can tell when your neighbour isn’t home. Remember it’s a burglar’s job to know the same things. Most professional criminals can tell nobody’s home at least four or five houses away.

3. Electronic devices that are effective besides the typical whole house alarm systems for windows and doors are infrared or motion detectors that sense movement or the heat given off by one’s body. Anyone approaching too close will trigger any number of attached devices. The most effective are powerful lights or burglar horns that either flood the area with light or fill the air with a deafening sound without notice. The more noise you can make, the more you can deter. Remember we live in communities where alarms go off all the time AND ARE BEING IGNORED, so ‘n plain “wooo-wooo” alarm will not cut it.

4. Any kind of sliding glass door is a favourite target. Guard against the door being lifted up and out by installing several screws into the door’s upper track.
Open and shut the door through its entire range to allow just enough of the screw’s head protruding to allow free movement without allowing the door to be removed.
Several devices can be installed into the door’s upper or lower track that acts much like a dead bold by running a heavy pin through the door track and deep into the frame

5. A simple doorstop on the inside of your doors – when you lock them at night. Kick it tight under the door and it can cost some time for the one trying to open that door from the outside.

But keep in mind – security starts with the neighbourhood – so a good thing to do is to get involved with the local CPF or neighbourhood watch. More on this next time.

 

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