
Residential security is a highly important matter that every homeowner must address because break-ins and burglaries can happen at any moment.
Unfortunately, not all homeowners have close protection personnel keeping them safe. So to minimise your risk of becoming a victim of burglars and thieves, you must learn the best ways you can protect your home – on your own.
In this short guide, we aim to extensively discuss various tips used to prevent crime so you can protect your belongings, home and family.
Understand how criminals think
To create the best residential security plan, you must put yourself in the shoes of a potential burglar. Knowing how burglars think allows you to plan the necessary counteractions you must do. It will help you prepare for the worst-case scenarios.
Walk around your home and examine potential places an offender can conceal himself or possible entry points that can be used to access your home.
You must also note the most valuable items in your home. Are they placed in a secured area? Does anybody else know where you store your treasured items?
Then, you should check the available security features that you have. Do you have enough security features in your house? Do you have outdoor lighting? How about a CCTV system or a burglar alarm system?
Below are proven and practical ways you can significantly boost your home’s security.
1. Invest in a more secure type of window glass
Windows provide the easiest access to a house. This is why it’s crucial to invest in a much more secure type of window. Experts suggest using laminated safety glass especially if you want to protect yourself from career burglars. Instead of finding unlocked windows, career criminals use mallets or hammers to smash window glass.
Protect your home by using laminated glass. This type of tempered glass is harder to break as compared to regular glass windows.
2. Install outdoor lighting in the right spots
If there are plenty of dark places around your property, we recommend using more outdoor lighting. Install them in areas like your garden, backyard or patio. You can also install motion-activated lights on your front porch to deter people from sneaking inside your residence.
3. Trim the grass around your property
If the grass is too high around your house, thieves have a better chance of carrying out their plan successfully. They can conceal themselves easier while they try to get inside your property. Make it a habit to trim the grass regularly.
4. Install a burglar alarm/CCTV system
What better way to discourage criminals to come inside your home than installing a surveillance camera or burglar alarm system.
With these two combined, you can significantly minimise your risk of falling victim to nasty burglars. Once the offender trips the alarm, it will go off and notify your authorized contact. If they get away, the CCTV system might be used to identify them.
5. Run background checks on workers you hire
It pays to be extra cautious these days. If you hire skilled workers such as gardeners, plumbers, landscape artists, and carpenters to work on your property, you should run a background check on them. You can avail the services of a security company or conduct the screening on your own.
6. Fortify your front door
The front door is the most common access point used by criminals to get inside a house. That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to fully secure your front door. Below are some of the best safety tips you can practice:
- If you have an old knob or door chain, replace them with new ones, preferably Grade 1 products. Don’t forget to check the door hinges as well.
- Replace the door if it’s hollow on the inside. Burglars can easily hack their way inside your home if you don’t have a sturdy door.
- Add an interior door lock like 1-sided deadbolt to reinforce your front door security.
7. Pay attention to your garage
Some criminals specifically target residential garages to steal cars and spare parts. Some of them even use the garage to access the rest of the house. To improve the security of your garage, we recommend checking your garage door.
It should be tightly shut most especially during at night or when you leave your house. For added safety, you should try tying a zip tie on the emergency release handle.
If you have windows in your garage, consider shifting to frosted or laminated safety glass.
8. Secure your WiFi
Nowadays, apart from securing your doors, windows and other access points in your homes, it’s also essential to secure your wireless internet connection. Using your WiFi, identity thieves may steal your personal and financial data. You must work on your internet connection to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
9. Get a reliable safe
Use your safe to secure and safeguard your most important personal valuables. If you have a gun in the house, you should place it inside the safe too. Be sure to keep the lock combination a secret. Avoid writing the combination on a piece of paper and leave it lying around in your office or sharing them with all of your family members.
10. Be mindful of the people you let in
The last, and probably the most important rule in home security is to never let any stranger inside your house unwarranted. Learn the common ploys used by people who break inside houses such as asking to use your telephone or offering unsolicited services.
Once a criminal gets inside your property it will be extremely hard and dangerous to get them out. If you’re not sure of the person knocking behind the door, it’s best not to let them in.
Also, be mindful of the new people you welcome in. Limit their access to common areas where you can easily keep an eye on them.
Never give them the opportunity
After making a mental note of everything you need to work on for your home’s security and applying the necessary improvements you should start planning on how you can foil a burglar’s plan to break in.
Take note that criminals are always on the lookout for the perfect opportunity to strike and execute their plan.
On that note, you must be extra careful not to give them the chance they’ve been waiting for. As much as possible, there shouldn’t be any tell-tale signs that would tell them that you’re not home.
Here are the tips you can use:
- Try using lights with timers most especially if you always leave the house a lot. Set the timer in random patterns to fool thieves that someone is in the house all the time.
- If you will only head out for an hour or so, you can leave the TV or radio on.
- Never attempt to post your travel plans on social media. This might attract the attention of burglars to hatch their plan while you’re away.
- If you have to leave for a longer period, ask a trusted relative or neighbour to look after your home.
Final tips to remember
The violence and crime rate is quite alarming these days. Sadly, while the police are doing their best to keep crimes at bay, it seems like crimes such as burglaries are here to stay.
This is why you should practice extra caution so you can keep your family safe from harm and your valuables and home well-protected. Avoid becoming a victim of criminals by following the home safety tips and tricks we enumerated above.