Home Security-More Do It Yourself Home Security
In my article “Home Security: Low Cost Alarms That Work” we discussed the effectiveness of low cost alarms in protecting your most valuable asset, your home, without sending you to the poor house. There was a 2002 Consumers Union study that found barking dogs and alarm systems to be the most effective ways to keep intruders out of your home.
In a recent Colorado Springs Gazette article, David Husted, a crime prevention officer with the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Falcon Division, was quoted as saying, “The sound of a large dog barking is also a good deterrent.” . When asked if he would spend money on an alarm or a dog: “I don’t know, I can go with the dog, if he has a good bark.”
In the time it takes you to read the next four short paragraphs, two more robberies will take place in the United States. Remember this: property crimes occur every 3 seconds, a home burglary every 15 seconds.
When a burglar goes looking for his next victim, he “scans” the neighborhood and individual houses for weaknesses. The way your home looks to him will send a signal whether he feels he can succeed or not. If he sees so many potential problems with his house, why would he bother when there are so many others to choose from?
Here are some additional inexpensive ways to help prevent home burglaries and provide the best security for your most valuable possession: your home.
Motion Activated Spotlights. These are easy to install and relatively inexpensive lighting systems activated by motion detectors. One of the things thieves don’t like is LIGHT.
Signs for an alarm company. The thieves do their homework. When they do break into a place, it’s usually with some degree of planning. If they see a sign in a yard stating that the property is protected by an alarm system, EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE, they are much less likely to target the house.
Neighborhood Watch Signs. Again, for the reasons listed above, burglars will think twice before trespassing on a Neighborhood Watch neighborhood. If you don’t have a Neighborhood Watch Program in place, start one. Your local police department will be happy to help you get one up and running. Visit http://www.usaonwatch.org for more details.
dummy surveillance cameras. Dummy surveillance cameras have a proven track record in reducing theft for a fraction of the cost of their “real” brethren. Most dummy cameras look like the real thing with a flashing red LED and warning signs that the property is being monitored by CCTV.
NRA stickers. Place an NRA sticker so it can be seen from the road in a conspicuous place: high up on your living room window, on your mailbox, or on the bumper of a car parked in the driveway. This sends a signal to a potential burglar that an occupant of the home may be armed.
The key here is to “announce” to potential burglars that your house will not be their next target. By using these inexpensive home security devices and following these home security tips, you will help prevent a burglary in your home. Home security alarm systems are effective, but for most people they are too expensive.
If you think that crime can only happen to the other person, you are wrong. The “other guy” is thinking the same thing and YOU they are that “other guy”. There’s a reason they call it self defense. You have to protect yourself, your family, your home and business!!
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