Reduce your risk of Burglary

by Paul Alcock

Really! 

With years of experience in the alarm industry, we have seen how burglars have broken in to homes and we have learnt how to reduce the risk of them doing so without detection.

So here are some of the most effective things you can do to reduce the risk of burglary at your home:

• Don't advertise that you have new stuff!
• When you get that awesome 60inch Flat Screen, Internet Ready, HiDef TV from the local discount store.... Don't put the box out with the trash! It's just an Ad to your friendly neighborhood burglar.. "Brand New TV here! - Come and get it!"
• Lock your doors!
• When our grandparents left the house to take the buggy into town, they could leave the front door wide open! Not today! Burglars will brazenly walk up to the front door and knock. If no reply, they will see if the door opens. "Thank You"!
• Lock your windows!
• Think about it. The Oliver Twist days are long gone, burglars today do not want to get cut squeezing in through the narrow opening of a broken window, but if they can pull the window open, that's a "Thank You"! It's easy to lock your windows. Most home hardware stores carry window locks that only cost a dollar each. 
• Display your alarm system notice at the front and back of your home.
• This is often thought of as advertising for the alarm company. The big sign at the front is readable from a passing car, and the window stickers around the side and back entry points are certainly visible to would be intruders. Every deterrent reduces your risk of being burglarized.
• Use your alarm system!
• We learn of so many home owners that were broken into while their alarm system was disarmed, even when the home owner was at home! News programs often report how a home was broken into while the home owner slept. Use the alarm system even when someone is home.
• Test your alarm system!
• So many home owners are getting rid of their land line phones and switching to VOIP or just using their cell phone. This saves a lot of money, but does their alarm system still work? Testing your alarm system at least monthly ensures you are getting the service you are paying for, it also helps you sleep better at night, because you do 'Use your alarm system!' right?