A few months ago I published an article on how to pick a lock. One of the reasons I showed folks how to do that (besides fulfilling a goal to become more like Jason Bourne) was to demonstrate how locks provide an “illusion of security.” Locks make you feel safe, but if someone wanted to get into your house, they could easily pick their way inside.

Hopefully, the takeaway from that post was that you can’t just rely on locks as your only means of home security. You need to utilize other tools and tactics in order to create multiple layers of defense.

Each year, there are over 2 million home burglaries committed nationwide. Today I’ll share a complete guide to Master Lock 265D Door ... Best Price: $19.28 Buy New $19.28 (as of 09:35 UTC - Details) making your home more secure and decreasing your chances of becoming a victim of this crime. I’ve included a whole gamut of different options and steps you can take. The tips range from the cheap and easy, to the more expensive and involved. Only you can decide, based on your personal circumstances and inclinations, how much time and money to invest in buttressing your home against the possibility of invasion and theft.

Understand the Mind of a Criminal: Time, Noise, and Visibility

Most burglars are criminals of opportunity. They’re typically only going to target homes they can access easily without being detected. Sociologists that have interviewed burglars have found three common factors they use to Westek SLC6CBC-4 FBA_S... Best Price: $7.78 Buy New $1.02 (as of 10:41 UTC - Details) determine whether or not to rob a home: time, noise, and visibility.

Burglars want to get in and out of a house as quickly as possible. The longer it takes to enter a home, the more likely someone will notice and call the police. So the harder you make it to gain entry, the better. Unfortunately, many people make it way too easy for a criminal to burgle them. Some research suggests that about 30% of all burglaries are through an unlocked door or garage. While it’s easy to pick a lock, it takes much more time than walking through an unlocked door or window. That’s why you should always lock all of your home’s potential entry points; it’s the simplest way to add a buffer of time.

Besides the time factor, burglars look at whether they can do their filching without being noticed. Barking dogs and home security systems will bring unwanted attention to a burglar due to the noise they create. Consequently, burglars will often skip homes with these features.

On the other hand, homes that are poorly lit at night or have lots of trees blocking the main entrance or windows make for enticing targets because they provide a cloak for thieves.

Time, noise, visibility. Part of a solid home security plan is increasing all three of these factors. Which areas do you need to improve upon the most? To figure that out, you need to:

Inn Liites LED Motion ... Check Amazon for Pricing. Case your joint. The first step to improving your home security is to find your home’s weaknesses. And the way you do that is to look at your place as if you were a criminal. Keep in mind the three factors we just discussed and case your joint. Do it during the day and the night and ask yourself questions like:

• Are there areas around my home that would offer cover for a bad guy to break in without being seen?
• Is my house well-lit at night?
• Do I have any unlocked doors or windows?
• Can I easily see valuables in my home from the street?
• Do the people in my home have routines that would make it easy for a burglar to figure out when would be the best time to hit my house?

Be ruthless with yourself as you try to think like a burglar would.

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The Best of Brett and Kate McKay

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