Home security an introduction

They say that smart people learn from the mistakes of others. When i see the same pattern of burglaries and home invasions being repeated on a daily basis, i am not so sure how true this statement is.

There really is nothing new when it comes to criminals and how they operate. We all know that they prefer homes that have no alarm systems, inadequate lighting, weak doors and locks and improperly secured windows. We even know what time of day they prefer.

If we know so much about criminals and the weaknesses in your home security that they tend to exploit, why aren't we making more of an effort to correct these issues.

The problem may be a combination of too much information, and conflicting information. There are thousands of home security related products on the market right now, with at least an equal number of expert recommended ways of using them to secure your home.

I will attempt to condense all of the expert advice and product recommendations down to the bare essentials and present what i believe to be four solid home security measures that have been proven effective at deterring the vast majority of the crimes aimed at homeowners.

A properly secured door is your first line of defense

 For years home security experts have been warning homeowners about the importance of reinforcing your door frame, installing high security door locks and switching weak hollow core doors for the stronger solid core type.

Apparently all of these warnings have fallen on deaf ears, because kick in robberies are still as popular with burglars as ever.

The kick in robbery is nothing new. It has been around for as long as there have been doors for burglars to kick in. As a matter of fact, it is one of the first tricks that a criminal learns early in his career. A ten thousand dollar home security system with all of the bells and whistles vs. a burglar who specializes in these types smash and grab robberies. Who has the advantage. If you put your money on the security system, you will probably loose.

A burglar that specializes in this particular type of robbery could care less about your state of the art alarm system, because they do not plan on being in your home long enough for it to make a difference. In most cases they will spend no more than two minutes total in your home. I am not sure about the alarm response time for your local police department, but in my part of the country two minutes is not even close to a reality.

Alarm systems don't prevent kick in robberies, properly secured doors do. A properly secured door is not just about installing the latest burglar proof lock to hit the market. You need to look at the door as one unit. This means that the frame, lock and the door itself have to be treated as one unit. A weakness in any of these components affects the overall security of the door.

The second target for burglars looking for that quick score will be your windows. Properly securing your window will take a little more thought, but it can be done. Keep reading to learn how.

Window security checklist

wouldn't it be nice if a properly secured front door were all that it took to deter a burglar. It is surprising but criminals can be a very determined and motivated group of individuals. They have actually given new meaning to that old saying, " when one door is closed a window is always opened ".

While your front door will always hold a special place in a criminals heart, they are not overly sentimental. If your door is not playing nice they will definitely pay your windows a visit to see if they are more accommodating. The first step to protecting your windows is so simple i am actually embarrassed that it even needs to be mentioned... You need to lock your them.

Unless it is a smash and grab type of home robbery, burglars don't like to break windows due to the noise that it creates and the attention that it attracts. By simply locking your windows, you are forcing them to do something that they know could potentially attract the kind of attention that they do not want.

For criminals that are not concerned with the noise that breaking a window will make, simply locking your window is not going to be enough. You will need to take steps to reinforce the window opening.

This can be accomplished most effectively by installing a security window film. Burglar bars are also an option for some, but they do come with a few weaknesses, mainly the cost involved and possible issues many have with their esthetics.

Security window film is a cost effective security option at just over one hundred dollars per window on average. Besides being an extremely effective way of keeping burglars out of your home, it also has the advantage of being an invisible layer of protection, unlike the equally effective, but unsightly burglar bar.

All criminals look for two things when breaking into a home. The first is to be able to do it quickly and quietly, the second is for it to be as simple as possible. Installing window film ensures that criminals don't get to have it their way.

The importance of a monitored alarm system

Congratulations!!! You have implemented all of the expert recommended security upgrades for your doors and windows, and your home is now completely protected against crime.

The strategies given for securing your doors and windows are in reality only delay and deter tactics. All security products can be breached by a criminal assuming that they have enough time. The recommended strategies and products are effective because the time needed to defeat them is normally more than a burglar has available.

Every so often you will encounter a burglar that is an overachiever and may not be dissuaded by all of the security hardware that you have placed on your doors and windows, and may have the time, tools and expertise necessary to breach them.

A monitored alarm system is that additional layer of security that will keep criminals out of your home. We all know the often quoted statistics of homes with security systems being less likely to be targeted by burglars, but why is this so.

The real reason is that a home with an alarm system presents too many unknown variables for your average criminal. Things like how extensive is the alarm system, are they utilizing security cameras, what is the response time going to be like for law enforcement, will any of the neighbors also be alerted to the break in.

It is a combination of all of these unknowns, plus a few more, that will usually persuade a burglar to choose another home as their target.

Even if your home is still targeted, having an alarm system will dramatically reduce the amount of time they would normally spend on your property, and therefore keep your losses to a bare minimum.

Home security cameras

A video surveillance system is the final component of a properly secured home. There are very few security products that are as versatile or as effective as the home security camera. They come in a multitude of configurations, and will cover a wide variety of issues around your home.

Exterior mounted security cameras - Imagine a burglar approaching your home with pleasant thoughts of your expensive property dancing through his mind. Suddenly he looks up and something gives him a change of heart. It was either God speaking to him, or maybe he just noticed your home security camera system, and realizes that he may end up being featured on the crime segment of the local news.

There is only one thing that a criminal craves more than your property, it is his freedom. It would be foolish to burglarize a home after showing your face to a security camera, unless they were certain that they could get to, and destroy the camera footage. I will not tell you that there are not stupid criminals out there, but their numbers are actually quite small.

Hidden and covert cameras - Burglars are now well aware of the importance of avoiding surveillance cameras during the commission of a crime and will go to great lengths to conceal their identities. A properly positioned hidden camera will capture usable images of a burglars face that would be impossible to obtain with a standard security camera.

Assuming that every other trick, tactic and strategy that you have employed so far has failed to stop this master thief, a covert camera may be your last chance of collecting some evidence that the police can use to catch this master criminal and possibly recover some of your stolen property.

Reinforced doors, properly secured windows, an alarm system and home security cameras. Four simple steps for protecting your home, valuables and family.