Are you looking for ways to avoid home robbery?
If so, locking the doors and securing the windows is important but not enough. That won’t prevent a burglar from trying to break in.
What you want is for the burglar to stay clear of your home.
How do you do that?
Here, we’ll be looking at 4 steps to keep burglars away. Plus, we’ll add 3 more steps for better home security.
So are you ready? Let’s begin!
4 Steps to Keep Burglars Away
Security experts have been examining burglar behavior for quite some time. As a result, they were able to find ways to scare these burglars away.
Here are the steps…
1. Fool Them
“Most burglars either rob during the day when no one is at home or during the night when everyone is asleep” – Chris McGoey, a Certified Safety and Protection Professional.
Burglars hate confrontation. They naturally steer away from homes that look alive with people.
If that’s the case, you should leave someone at home all day or make someone stay up through the night.
Not necessarily.
Instead, you can fool them into believing someone is around.
The best way to do this is by leaving the lights on.
You could install motion-sensor lights that you can control via your smartphone. This way, you can turn it off/on wherever you are.
Lights with timers are also a good idea. Set the timer to when the lights should turn on or off.
Other ways to scare burglars away are keeping the TV on, setting your breadmaker to automatically turn on when you’re away, setting a timer when the air conditioner goes on/off, etc…
Use anything that fools a burglar into thinking someone is at home.
2. Watch Them
“The most effective deterrents for home burglaries are CCTV cameras.” – a panel of former criminals.
Want to discourage burglars from breaking in?
Make them know that you’re watching them.
Install CCTV cameras all-around your property. For better effectiveness, place these cameras in areas that can be clearly seen.
We tell you, burglars would rather rob another house than risk being caught and exposed on camera.
3. Block Them
“Burglars like to target homes that are easy to access.” – an Idaho news station.
If that’s the case, you need a line of defense to block burglars away.
Sure, a tall gate and walls are a good defense, but they can easily find ways to access that.
What they CAN’T easily access, though, is a property with a guard dog.
A big dog with a loud bark will have burglars scuttling away.
4. Scare Them
“Burglars want to get in and out with no trouble. A warning sign tells them that breaking into the home may be more trouble than it’s worth.” – Wtop news.
To scare burglars away, place warning signs on the gate, on the door, or anywhere that’s clear to see for an intruder.
Signs such as “Beware of the dog,” “Guarded by security cameras,” or “No trespassing” warn burglars that you’re not someone to mess with.
Even if you don’t actually have a dog or security camera, these signs are still effective as burglars want zero trouble.
Keep in mind that it’s best to back up these signs with the actual thing.
3 Steps to Better Secure Your Home
Keeping burglars away is your first line of defense.
The second line of defense is adding better security to your house.
Here are the steps…
1. Secure Doors and Windows
It seems that keeping your doors and windows locked is not enough anymore. The reason is that most burglars are now experts at picking locks.
To add better security, install door or window sensor alarms. These alarms send you an email or text when the door/window has been opened. From there, you can either turn the lights on or access a video feed from your smartphone.
If you’re in the house, security products can hold these intruders back. For example, the Sleeve barricades a door by simply slipping it into the hinges.
If your doors and windows are extra secure, so is your house.
2. Strengthen Weak Areas
A more persistent burglar can easily knock down weak areas, say, your hollow-core back door.
To strengthen your house then, consider replacing your door’s material with hardwood or steel. Or, you can add more bolts to make sure the door stays intact in its frame.
There are even door reinforcement kits that you can use to fortify the weak spots.
This way, no amount of kicking will knock the door over and allow the burglar in.
3. Hide Your Valuables
Of course, you don’t want anything stolen from your house. However, you especially don’t want your valuables to be taken.
Just in case the burglar is able to go through all your security, don’t allow them to get to your valuables.
Don’t hide them in conventional places – dresser drawers, bedside tables, medicine cabinets…
Instead, find creative places to hide them away. For example, you can store valuables in a crevice on the wall or at the back of a picture frame.
Burglars won’t have time to look in these unexpected areas.
Conclusion
Don’t want burglars to rob your house?
These 7 steps are proven to keep them away.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to enforce these 7 steps right away. You can start with the ones that are most important to you. From there, you can slowly include the rest.
If you’re aware of burglar risks, acting on it will most likely prevent it from happening.