There is at least one burglary happening every 15 seconds in the US. Most of these burglaries are carried out by amateurs in residential areas. Thwarting the efforts of these thieves is very easy if you follow these expert security suggestions from Neighborhood Garage Door Service.
- Always keep your doors locked, even if you are stepping out of your house to run a short errand. Many burglars simply walk in through an open door or window to lift items.
- When you move into a new house, change all the locks on the doors and windows. You do not know who has had access to the keys before you moved in, or if the former owners misplaced a key sometime in the past. Changing the locks to all the doors gives you the assurance that you alone have the keys to your house.
- If you have an alarm system, make sure all the wires are concealed. Burglars look for alarms wires to disconnect and this disables the security system.
- Plan with a trusted friend or neighbor to “burglarize” yourself. This will give you the opportunity to discover any weaknesses or security lapses your house has.
- Your house should appear occupied at all times, even when you are not home. There should be lights left on in some of the rooms to give an impression that someone is home. It is a good idea to use switch timers and radio, or leave your TV set on to confuse burglars.
- If you lose any of your keys, change your lock. Don’t even assume you simply misplaced them. Get a locksmith to change your locks.
- Install lights at all the outside entrances to your house and along any dark or hidden corners of your property. Your patio light should always be on.
- Trim back or completely remove any shrubbery close to your doors or windows. If you need plants to beautify your house, use thorny flower plants instead.
- If your garage door lifts on a track, installing a C clamp will provide extra security as the door will not open if you tighten the C clamp on the roller.
- Keep your garage doors closed and locked even if your vehicle is not inside. This will confuse watching burglars as they will not be able to tell when you are home or out.
- Have a covering at your garage window. This way, burglars won’t be able to tell if your car is in or not. If your garage connects to your main house, installing a peephole in the separating door will allow you check into your garage in case you hear any strange or suspicious noise.
- Fortify any glass panel close to door knobs or locks. Burglars have the habit of breaking glass panels on doors and windows to reach the door knob. Installing a deadbolt that can only be opened with a key is also another great idea.
- Don’t open your doors to just anyone knocking. First confirm that you know who is at the door. A peephole will help you identify your visitor before you open the door to them.
- Installing a deadbolt or chains on your doors will help protect you against loiding. Loiding is the act of opening a spring latch door by slipping in a credit card against the latch to unlock a door. There should be no space in between the frame and your door. A space can allow burglars to saw away at your deadbolt with a hacksaw or power tool.
- Instead of keeping a spare key under your doormat, in the mail box or in a flower pot. A good idea is to wrap it in a foil and bury it where you can easily find it, or look for a loose brick and place it inside. The first places burglars check for keys are mailboxes, doormats and flower pots.
- Do a thorough background checks before you hire any help around the house. Preferably use companies whose job it is to provide help. They have better ways to check the background of people they send to houses.
- Apart from being man’s best friend, a dog can also be a good deterrent to burglars; even a small dog can cause enough rackets to alert you to the presence of an intruder.
- Cut off any overhanging tree limb that is close to your fence or a window. Thieves and burglars can scale walls and gain access to upper story windows by climbing trees and jumping off their limbs.
- Dispose cartons or packs of any new appliance you bought. Dropping them anywhere around the house or street is a clear invitation for burglars to come around and get some new items.
- Keep your travel details off social media. A lot of burglars place tabs on people via their social media account and activities. Do not broadcast your travel plans on social media else burglars will know when your house will be unoccupied and pay it a visit.
- Engage in some form of neighborhood watch. Inform one another about any suspicious persons or activity noticed in the neighborhood.
- Do not hesitate to call the police if you feel threatened or observe any suspicious activity around your house or your neighborhood. It is better to be security conscious and wrong than to be a victim.
- Put a hold on any magazine subscriptions or mails that come into your mailbox before travelling. Burglars use mailbox content to know if the owner is in town.
- If you have a broken attic window or any part of your house that needs fixing, get it done at once. Burglars and intruders take advantage of broken windows, open ceilings and any unsecure part of the house to gain entrance.
- Some intruders pretend to need help, asking to use the phone just so they can gain entrance into people’s houses. If a stranger comes to your door asking to use your phone, keep your door locked and make the call for them instead.
