Home Security

Every home is a target for would be burglars. However, the trick is to make your home look occupied and less appealing. There are a number of small, costless things that you can do, to discourage unwanted guests.

DIY Security

Every home should implement some basic security measurements, which generally don’t cost much at all. The best way to determine the items that you need to address, is to case your own home. Ask yourself, if you were locked out of your home, how would you try to get in? You may even shock yourself as to how easy it would be, to get inside your home.

Some things to consider include:

• Gates and Fences:
  • are the front gates left unlocked?
  • when shut, do the front gates shield the house from the road, making it easy to gain access without being seen?
  • are there any dogs?
  • are the garden fences low enough to jump over if the burglar needs to get away quick;

• Sheds and Garages:
  • do you keep your garage and sheds locked?
  • always remember to put all of your garden equipment away and lock the shed door;
  • don’t leave tools lying around that a burglar may be able to use to break into your home;

• Doors and Windows:
  • are the doors and windows easy to see, or are they hidden by trees and bushes. Overgrown vegetation creates sheltered dark areas that allow burglars to loiter and take their time when trying to force open a door, or window;
  • ensure that both your front door, back door and any external doors are solid timber external doors. Hollow core doors should only be used for internal doors, as they are not so strong and can easily be opened with a swift kick;
  • do you have a one way vision security grill door on your front door? It is recommended that external doors have a proper meshed security door fitted;
  • do all of the external doors have good locks such as Mortise locks, deadlocks, deadlocking handles, entrance sets, all of which help to prevent the door being forced open, or the lock being forced off the door. These locks are available at all good hardware stores;
  • do you leave windows open for breeze?
  • do your windows have window locks, which bolt through the frame?
  • do you have window grilles for any windows that may not be in a clear line of sight?

• Lighting:
  • is there adequate lighting around your home, or does your home appear dark? Dark areas provide shelter for burglars to loiter and take their time when trying to force open a door, or window;
  • do you have sensor lighting fitted? Does it work properly? Sensor lighting will startle any potential burglars;

• Keys:
  • if you must leave a key hidden outside of your home, make sure that it is not in an obvious spot, like in a pot plant, under the mat, under a rock, in the letterbox etc. This is the first place a burglar is going to look;

Insure Your Possessions

Contents insurance covers all of the non fixed contents of your home. The best way to review whether you have adequate cover, is to walk around your home and make a list of everything within each room. That includes furniture, televisions, computers, picture frames, cooking utensils, microwaves, linen etc. Once you have completed your list, consider how much it would cost you to replace those items at today’s cost.

As the cost of insurance rises, you may consider to only insure the larger items, like the electrical items, the larger furniture etc. However, remember in the event of theft, or house fire, you may not be covered for all of the items you have lost.

For the more valuable items in your home, it is always a good idea to take a photo of the item, write down the mode and serial numbers and how much you paid for them. Store this information in a safe place, but hopefully you will not need it.

Discourage Intruders

Not only can a break in be costly with the loss of items and equipment and damage to your home, it can also leave emotional damage, with such feelings of being watched, the feeling of being violated, having your items touched by a stranger etc.

The best method of defence is to discourage intruders. If the potential burglar believes that some one is in the house, then they are more likely to move on and find a house where no one is home.

When you are leaving the house either for a short trip, or for extended periods, some simple things to consider include:

• Lighting:
  • leave a light on in the house at night. If you are going to be away for extended periods ie: holiday periods, fit a timer switch that turns on and off various lights (such as standard lamps, or bedside lights) around your home;
  • leave a radio, or television playing in a front room. This will give the illusion that someone is home;
  • leave curtains half closed during the day. This will give the appearance that someone may be home;

• Boxes and Notes:
  • do not leave visible notes on your front door step. This tells a potential burglar that no one is home;
  • do not leave the empty boxes of newly purchased electrical equipment eg: television, stereo system, computer etc, out for the rubbish, as these act as red flags for potential burglars. Instead, crush the boxes and place in the rubbish bin out of sight;

• Holiday Periods:
  • arrange for someone to mow your front lawn ie: a friend, or relative, a local lawn mowing service;
  • arrange for someone to empty your letterbox, or have Australia Post hold your mail till you return;

Alarm Systems

The installation of a burglar alarm can further prevent the potential for your home being targeted by would be thieves. Burglars generally don’t like to draw attention to themselves and so avoid breaking into homes where alarms are fitted.

There are several different types of alarm systems available that include such things as internal sirens, blue external flashing lights, cameras, movement sensors, remote controls, monitoring, zone monitoring, window sensors, panic buttons etc. Alarm systems start at a relatively low price and increase as you add more items to them.

The concept of the alarm system is that once an intruder has been recognised on a movement sensor, or broken a door or window sensor, the internal sirens scream and the external blue flashing light commences alerting everyone within the area, that the home has been broken into. Generally, the siren is loud and shrieking enough to scare any potential burglar away … and any unsuspecting animal that may be in the home, such as a cat, or dog.

Where an alarm is monitored, in the event it is triggered, the security company will contact you on the telephone number you have provided to ensure that it isn’t a false alarm. If it is not you who has triggered the alarm, or if you don’t answer, the security company will send a Security Patrol Officer to your home to investigate.

In order to choose the right alarm system for you, you need to determine how much you would like to spend, what items you want in your system and what actions you want to be taken in the event of the alarm activating.

It is recommended that you speak with a professional security company that will be able to assist you with your requirements.

When an Intruder Has Entered Your Home

If you return home to find the front door open, or a window smashed and you have reason to believe that a break in has occurred, do not enter the house alone, just incase the intruder is still there.

In the case of a break in, do not touch anything, or move anything. Try to remain calm and call the Police on 131 444 and await their arrival. You may feel more comfortable doing this from a neighbour’s house.

If you believe that an intruder is definitely still in your home, do not enter the house at all. Instead, wait outside and call the Police. Go to a neighbour’s house, a friend’s house, or another safe place and wait for the Police to arrive.

In the event your home is broken into, the general practice is to replace the items that have been stolen, or damaged. It is highly recommended that you do not leave the empty boxes of the newly purchased items out for the rubbish, unless they have been crushed and placed in the rubbish bin out of sight. By leaving boxes visible on the footpath, you are in affect, telling the burglars that they can now come back and steal your new items.

Experts agree that you will never be able to stop the dedicated burglar. However, by following these simple tips, it will help reduce the potential of you being the next victim.

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