Home Security – More Important Now Than Ever
I just read a startling statistic from the FBI – they say “Every 12 seconds a home is invaded by someone going right through the front or back door.” More than 70% of all break-ins occur through a door and the majority of the time the cause is “door frame failure.” That’s a pretty scary statistic folks. Yesterday I wrote an article that covered how to improve your door security. If you missed it, you can read it here.
Another fact is that during tough economic times, like what we are experiencing now, home invasions and burglaries go up. Prime time for a burglary to occur is while people are normally at work, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The reason burglaries occur during this time is because a burglar doesn’t want anyone to be home, and it’s also nice when the neighbors are also out, while they rob your house.
If having your home burglarized isn’t bad enough, then you should think about home invasions for just a minute. For a home invasion, the goal is for you to be home so the intruder can get the really valuable information like; credit cards, car keys, and bank information. Since home invaders like you to be home, they usually take place between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. And just to put a little more fright into your head – 38% of Assaults and 60% of all Rapes take place during a home invasion.
Even though I highly recommend having a residential home security system, in the case of home invasion, I think it would be a lot safer to keep out the intruder all together. You see, as much as I like home security systems, there main function is to alert you AFTER a break-in. For that reason, I recommend that you do all that you can to make sure that your door security is as strong and impenetrable as it could be. That means; checking your door to make sure that it isn’t a hollow wood door, replacing your door strike with one that has at least 3-inch screws that go into the stud, making sure to install and use a deadbolt lock, and if there is a window nearby or glass in the door itself, use a security film for added strength.
I don’t want to scare you or put nasty pictures in your head but I think that it is really important to make sure that you have done everything that you can to protect yourself and your family. Make sure that you follow the tips that I wrote about yesterday, again you can read that here. Until next time, stay safe and secure.
Home Security Solutions – Door Security
Let me ask you a question. How did you move into your home? Did you carry your items through the front door or the garage door? Most people do and burglars like to get in and out of a house the same way – by the door. If you think about it, it makes sense because it’s the easiest way for them to take off with your valuables. Here are a few things that you can do to improve your door security at home:
Keep your keys safe
This may sound simple but you would be surprised at the number of people that think it is a good idea to give a spare key to a family member or friend in case they get locked out. Some people will even give those people that are doing work in their home a key so that they can come and go as needed. You may think that the people you give a key to are completely trustworthy but you have no control of where that key may end up. I’m not saying that you can’t trust people but it is important that you think about who you are giving your keys to. If it is someone doing work on your home that you trust, that may be fine but do you trust their helpers? Be sure to consider not only who you are giving the key to but also the people around them.
Another thing about keys is to make sure that if you have a hide-away key that you like to keep in a secret place outside your home that you hide that key a fair distance from your door. A burglar will always look in the usual hiding places for a key. So putting your key under the front doormat, under the flower pot, or any place near your front door could turn out to be a big mistake.
Check your door locks
Is the door lock to your home the one that the builder installed? Is it one of those locks that have the lock and the handle in one unit? If so check out this video, you will be amazed at how easy it is to break in.
If you have a deadbolt, be sure to use it. Get into the habit now and make sure that everyone in the family does the same. Another thing that you should do with your door locks is to check the strike plate. A door strike plate is the metal plate that is installed in the door jamb. It’s the part that receives the latch from the lock when the door is closed. Most strike plates are being held in with ¾ inch screws. These small screws make it very easy for someone to kick in the door. At the very minimum, I suggest that you replace the short screws with 3 inch screws but more additional security, replace the entire strike plate with a longer one that has more than two screws that are offset and the screw length is at least 3 inches. The reason you want such long screws is so that they will penetrate the stud near the door opening.
The door itself
Even if you have installed a good lock and strike plate, it is only as good as the door itself. If you door is a hollow wood door, you have a weak spot in your door security. You want your exterior doors to be of a strong material such as fiber glass, metal, or solid wood. If you do have a metal door, make sure that it is reinforced inside and has what is called a lock block.
Another thing that you can easily do yourself to improve your door security is to fortify the door frame itself. Most door frames aren’t strongly secured into the wall so that a good strong kick or something like a crowbar can separate the door frame from the wall itself. You can easily remedy this by installing several 3 inch screws along the door frame.
One final note on doors, it’s more secure to have a door that does have a window in it or a window close enough to it so that a burglar could break the window and unlock the door. If you do happen to have that situation, you may want to consider replacing the door or reinforcing the glass with a security film.
That’s it on doors. Be sure to check all the exterior doors to your home. There are also some interior doors that deserve a check as well. The door from the garage into the house for example, as well as any other door that a burglar can use to get into the main area of the home.
Home Security Solution – Remove the “Break In Here” Sign Painted on YOUR Home
While I was on my run this morning I was taking some mental notes on how some homes look like an easy target for a burglary. So today I thought I would spend a few minutes talking about some very simple things that you can do to make sure that your residential home security hasn’t painted a target on your home for a burglary.
The first house that I want to talk about had newspapers from the last three days lying in their driveway. That is one sure fire way to tell a burglar that no one has been home for a few days. Burglars love it when families are out of town. It gives them all the time in the world to break in and take whatever they want.
There are two things that can be done that would provide a good home security solution to this situation. The first home security solution is to have a neighbor or a friend come by and bring in your newspaper and mail on a daily basis. The other option is to put a hold on your paper so that it doesn’t get delivered while you are out of town. The post office will also hold your mail if you ask them to.
The second house that I want to talk about had very tall grass and doesn’t look like it has anyone living in it. Now I know that some of you may be saying – if the house is not occupied, what does it matter what the outside looks like or if it gets broken into? And that’s a good question. Since I have done some renovations on my place, I happen to know that a lot of the things that look like permanent fixtures are actually pretty easy to remove and they can cost a pretty penny to replace. Things like: light fixtures, ceiling fans, door hardware, even toilets are easy to remove.
As you can see, even a house that is empty can have some items in it that a thief can steal. It may be a little more difficult to walk away with some actual cash but there are a lot of things that can easily be turned into cash.
Even though there may be a few reasons a house may be empty for a while. Such as a rental property that is between tenants or a vacation property that doesn’t get used a lot. You can still do some very simple things to make the property looked more lived in. My home security solution recommendation for a situation like this is to either hire someone to cut the grass on a regular basis or do it yourself.
I hope these residential home security solutions will help you to keep your family and your possessions safe from burglary. Today’s solutions may seem a little too simple but I think that it’s always a good idea to have a reminder now and then just to make sure you don’t have “Break In Here” sign painted on your home.
