Preventing Home Break-Ins – Locksmith Can Help
Thankfully, there are many ways that you can help prevent home break-ins from occurring in the first place, and working with a trusted locksmith can help ensure you and your family are protected.
We all want to feel safe and secure in our homes, but the truth is that predators are out there. Thieves are opportunists, biding their time until they can break into your home and steal your hard-earned possessions. In the process, they put your family in danger, and they can even steal away your peace of mind. Many break-in survivors experience lingering effects from their ordeals, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Keep Your Doors and Windows Locked
As mentioned, thieves are opportunists. They don’t want to get caught, and they don’t want to take unnecessary risks. They’re not really predators so much as they’re scavengers. One of the best ways to deter a thief from breaking into your home is to simply keep your doors and windows locked at all times, including when you’re home. When presented with locked doors and windows, and no easy way in and out of a home, most burglars will go in search of easier prey. Note that this will not necessarily deter a determined home invader.
Use Security Signs Even if You Don’t Have a Security System
Security systems can deter thieves and offer peace of mind to homeowners, but they can be expensive. If you cannot afford a home security system, or don’t want to pay for ongoing monitoring, you can get some protection just by placing security yard signs and window decals around your home. Here’s the thing – thieves don’t have that much time to find the places they want to break in. So, they’re going to look for homes that have the fewest defenses.
If your home has yard signs stating that it’s protected by an alarm system, or window decals declaring that there is a security system in place, chances are good that a burglar is going to pass your home by in favor of easier pickings. After all, they have no way of knowing that you really don’t have a security system, nor do they have the inclination to experiment and find out.
Don’t Leave Temptations Laying Around
Again, thieves are opportunists. They’re on the lookout for tempting prizes. Don’t give them that temptation. Deny it to them. What does that mean for the average homeowner?
Simply put, don’t leave things laying around the yard or outside your home that tell a thief you have something worth taking. For instance, suppose you purchase a new big-screen TV. What do you do with the packaging for the television? It goes out by the trashcan, correct? That’s right where thieves can see it.
What do you think they’re going to do when they realize you have a shiny new 4K TV? They’re going to be tempted to break into your home. The same thing goes for any other temptations – the packaging for new computers, new Blu-ray players, and the like. All of this should be broken down and disposed of so that it doesn’t draw the attention of would-be thieves.
Make Sure Sliding Doors Are Secured
Do you have sliding glass doors that open out onto a porch or patio? These are lovely, certainly, but they are also major security risks. Thieves don’t even need to pick the lock in most instances. They can just pop them off the track/frame. Newer sliding glass doors are harder to get through, but it can still be done.
How do you secure these access points to your home, then? It’s as simple as getting a length of wood and putting it in the track between the sliding door and the far side of the frame. The wood should be long enough that it prevents the door from moving. This ensures that thieves cannot open the door even if they manage to jimmy the lock, and that the door doesn’t move enough to be popped off the frame.
Have a Home Security Survey Completed
Not sure where your home’s weak points are? Not entirely certain that you’re doing everything that you can to deter break-ins? Have a trusted locksmith provide you with a home security survey. In this situation, a locksmith will evaluate your home and yard for security risks, including your door and window locks. The locksmith will give you the results of the survey and explain what you need to do to improve your home’s security and your family’s safety. Conducting a survey actually takes very little time, and it can provide you with vital information for use in the fight against thieves, so this option should be a no-brainer.
Invest in High Security Door Locks
You can make your home more secure by investing in high security door locks. You’ll need to work with a trusted locksmith to install these, but they can do a lot for your peace of mind. High security door locks are stronger than conventional locks, and are virtually impossible to force. In addition, because of the way they are installed on the door and the doorframe, they’re a lot stronger, meaning that thieves will not be able to force the door open, either.
Have Your Door Locks Rekeyed or Replaced
As mentioned, thieves have a low tolerance for getting caught, so they will use whatever methods necessary to avoid this. That includes breaking into the homes of family members and friends to which they might have keys. If you’re not 100% certain of where every copy of your home’s keys are, or who has them, it’s vital that you have a locksmith replace or rekey those locks.
With the help of a trusted local locksmith, you can safeguard your home and make it a less appealing target to thieves. Work with a locksmith you trust to evaluate your home’s security, to replace or rekey locks, or to install high-security door locks to help defeat thieves before they can enter your home.
Preventing Home Break-Ins
Preventing home break-ins is rely on common sense. Call us if you have any questions or concerns.