Home Security Tips

Home security depends on not only the security equipment you may have installed, but it depends on precautionary methods on your part as well. You security system will not be helpful to you if you leave your doors and windows unlocked when you leave the house. You should lock your doors whenever you leave the house even if you are just going next door to have a cup of coffee with a neighbor. It does not take long for a burglar to do his job as he is not interested in taking a lot of large objects. What a burglar generally looks for are small items that can bring quick and easy cash such as: cash, jewelry, watches, small electronic equipment, etc. Items this small can be taken while you are enjoying that cup of coffee with your neighbor.

If you are using surveillance equipment in and around the house be sure that it is in good working order at all times. A periodic inspection of these items is suggested. Bright lights or strobe lights are no help if the bulbs are burned out or broken due to a wind storm or rain storm. The locks on your doors should also be check periodically to be sure that they are tight and secure and working properly.

Burglars do not want to enter a house that is occupied so you may want to make your house look occupied. Leaving lights on is no longer a deterrent as everyone knows about it. However, there is something on the market called a fake television that can be programmed to go on at a particular time. This fake television emits a light like you television set and makes it look as though there is someone home watching television. If you use timed lights, alternate the time these lights go on so that it does not look as though the light is timed.

If you leave for work at a certain time each day and the children leave at a certain time each day, you may want to alternate you schedules frequently. If you have the time, then drive the children to school and come back home a day or two each week. If your house is being watched the time schedules will be too confusing for a burglar to take a chance. The burglar is not interested in harming you personally; he is only interested in material possessions that he can take and sell for a quick buck. So anything you can do to confuse the issue will deter a burglary.

In addition, a good piece of home security equipment is a home safe either anchored to a floor or built into the floor. You can place all of your valuables, jewelry, important papers that have you identity in them, cash, coin and stamp collections, etc. The combination on the lock on your safe should be changed often to deter anyone from getting into the safe. This would include cleaning staff, nannies, children as well as a burglar. You may want to add an alarm of some sort on the safe also. Although it may not be heard outside of the area of the safe,  it will frighten anyone trying to get into it.