As we continue to hear of break-ins in our area and surrounds, it is crucial that we do everything we can to discourage criminals from breaking into your home. The first step in home crime prevention is to eliminate opportunity, and it’s up to us, the home owners, to cut those chances.
Though many people only worry about night-time security, most burglaries actually occur during daylight hours when most people are at work, school, or running errands. It’s important to take precautions during the day, at night, and any time you leave the house to ensure your home stays secure.
When it comes to protecting your family and your belongings, you can’t be too careful, and there are plenty of ways you can protect your home from invasion or burglary. This Secure Rite guide will discuss prevention steps to take both inside and outside your home.
Let’s make your home tough to break in …
1. Walk around the exterior of your home and scout for weak spots
The best way to protect your home from the outside is to survey it through the eyes of a burglar. If you can easily tell that a window or a door could be pried open, a thief will definitely be able to come to the same conclusion. Residents of the Helderberg basin can contact Secure Rite and we’ll provide a FREE courtesy home assessment that can help you identify your home’s weak spots.
SIDE TIP: While you’re checking for vulnerable spots, take note of any expensive electronics, art, or furniture that is easily spotted through windows. You don’t have to redecorate your entire home to keep expensive items out of sight, but it doesn’t hurt to make small adjustments where you can.
2. Keep plants, trees and shrubs around entrances and walkways trimmed.
The last thing you want is to make it easier for a thief to hide while awaiting an opportunity to break in or hijack you or family members as you arrive /leave home. Eliminate options for hiding spots around your property. In addition, plants and trees are often the cause of false alarms. Contact Secure Rite for a FREE consultation of your external property and false alarm triggers.
SIDE TIP: Nature has great ways to defend itself, so plant thorny shrubs and bushes around your perimeter. This will certainly discourage any garden hiding spots.
3. Use curtains on garage windows.
Garages are often key entry points for burglars. Garages are often storage facilities for valuables and it is much easier to break into a car that is parked in a garage. Besides ensuring that your alarm system in your garage works, make sure you cover all windows to avoid ‘window shoppers’.
SIDE TIP: Remember to test your alarm sensor and ensure that the connecting door from your garage to your home is always secured and locked. Secure Rite offers FREE assessments of your garages/ outside storage facilities.
4. Install motion sensor lighting around your home, especially at entrances. Shine a spotlight on a potential intruder before he can even touch your doors or windows by adding extra lighting with motion detectors at entrances and especially dark corners of your home.
SIDE TIP: If you have cameras around your home, ensure there is sufficient lighting around the surveillance area. Secure Rite offers external cameras and can provide a FREE consultation at your home.
5. Get to know your neighbours. It’s much tougher for criminals to get their way in a tight-knit community. Your neighbours can be one of your best assets in home crime prevention because they offer extra eyes and an outside perspective. Neighbours who know you and the movements around your home can easily spot a stranger or suspicious activity. Aside from the great work our Neighbourhood Watches do, remember to get to know your neighbours next to you, behind you and across the road.
At Secure Rite, we believe that security solutions must be multi-faceted to account for the many different types of residential and commercial crime activity in our country. Security is more than a physical alarm these days. It has quickly evolved into a need to protect our families while they are on the move. Contact the Secure Rite team today for a free consultation on how we can work together to keep your family and your belongings safe.
