How to keep your home Safe & Secure

Completely burglar-proofing your home may be impossible, but there are a few simple precautions you can take that will go a long way toward discouraging intruders. If you're planning on being away this summer -- or just want to feel more secure when you're at home, do:


Get an Alarm System
The best alarm systems, for which you'll need to pay an installation charge and a monthly fee, automatically call a security agency and alert the police when any of the sensors are tripped. Ask your local police department for recommendations.

Lock It Up
It's an easy step, yet some people still don't bother securing all the entrances to their homes. Many burglars walk right in the front door because the door is unlocked, the lock is easy to pick or remove, or the door itself is flimsy. Solid doors equipped with deadbolt locks and wide-angle peepholes instead of glass panels offer the surest protection. Sliding glass doors should be equipped with locking metal rods in the sliding channel. Be sure all accessible windows have locks, and if you live in a high-crime neighborhood, consider putting grates or steel shutters on all basement and first-floor windows.

Recruit Friendly Allies
Neighbors offer good protection against burglars. People who are familiar with your routine will notice something unusual and let you know. Form a neighborhood watch group. Burglars don't want to be noticed, and they will usually avoid areas where they see a lot of traffic between homes.

More Smart Moves
Make it hard for a burglar to figure out whether or not you're home. Use timed floodlights or porch lights to light up your property. Keep trees and shrubs trimmed so that prowlers have no place to hide. Choose see-through fences for the same reason.

Don't tempt burglars by putting expensive items on display near a window. Mark your valuables so that they can be identified if they are stolen. Many police departments lend out engraving tools and provide window stickers that tell thieves that your possessions are registered.

Keep an inventory of your valuables too. If you are burglarized, you will have an easier time establishing a claim with your insurance company if you can show receipts, model numbers, and snapshots or video footage of the missing items.

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