8 Ways to Increase Your Home’s Security

Even though state authorities are doing their best to temper the problem of property crime, household burglary remains one of Australia’s most widespread felonies. According to Australian Institute of Criminology, the number of UEWI’s (Unlawful Entry With Intent) that occurred during 2013 was 203,438. That may be a huge improvement over 2003 (354,020), but the number is still very concerning. Therefore, it is important to do everything in our power to make our homes safer.

Clear the Space around Your House

Despite the common belief that UEWI’s occur mostly during night, that is far from true. In fact, a Washington Post survey claims that most burglaries happen between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. – in broad daylight. The best thing you can do to help burglars penetrate your house during this critical period is to provide them with a suitable cover. Clear your yard of all the items and structures that obscure the view of your house’s critical entry points to make sure you are not helping them.

Buy a Dog

Dog is man’s best friend-and a burglar’s worst enemy. Because housebreakers are very opportunistic people, they won’t put themselves in risky situations. And dogs present a huge risk. They are not only intimidating and able to attack the thieves; they are also capable of sensing the threat and alarming the entire neighbourhood. Even if you don’t buy the animal, the very sight of “beware of dog” sign will deter a lot of potential burglars from targeting your home.

Install Alarms

Installing alarms is one of the most common and most efficient moves aimed at improving home security. The two most important types of house alarms are:

• Monitored alarm systems – This type is monitored by surveillance professionals who can send help to your home if trouble arises. However, the connection to the surveillance central can be cut off before the forced entry.
• Unmonitored systems – Unlike monitored systems, this type is much more independent. Unfortunately, they are capable only of alarming your household.

For the best possible security, you should try to incorporate both of these systems.

Create the Illusion of Activity

Burglars always target homes that are empty. One of the best ways to keep the potential invaders at bay is to create an illusion of activity in and around your house. There are several ways to do that. For instance, you can ask your neighbours to take occasional strolls through your yard, schedule lawn-mowing and maintenance services during periods when you are away from home, or put interior lights, radios and TV’s on a timer so they turn on and off at seemingly random times.

Install Motion Triggered Lights

Although most forced entries occur in broad daylight, that doesn’t mean that burglaries don’t happen under the cover of darkness as well. The best thing you can do in this situation is bring thieves to light. In the best case scenario, motion triggered lights won’t only expose intruders to you and your neighbours, but cause them to panic and flee as well.

Reinforce Critical Entry Points

The most usual ways burglars enter homes are front doors, windows, climbable objects, and secondary doors. On the other hand, they are also very likely to simply give up trying to enter after just 60 seconds, so do your best to make these entry points as impenetrable as possible. The common security options you can use to address this issue include security flyscreens, reinforced locks and window bars.

Install Security Cameras

The benefits of having security cameras are twofold. First, they help you record and identify burglars. Second – much like dog signs, security cameras can be used for intimidation purposes. If you can’t afford to cover your entire yard with these expensive security devices, you can cover some of the less likely entry points with dummy cameras.

Organize Neighbourhood Watch

According to U.S. Justice Department the presence of neighbourhood watch has lead to 16% crime reduction in controlled areas. There’s no reason why these results couldn’t be emulated in Australia. Try organizing a short neighbourhood assembly and give this topic a number one spot.

By definition, home is a place where we feel happy and safe. Unfortunately, with crime rates as they are, it’s hard to truly call our houses our homes. Follow these few tips and your house will finally become that small oasis of security it was always supposed to be.