Easy and inexpensive ways to increase your home’s security

YOU WANT to protect your home, and the people and things within it. Don’t worry, there are several inexpensive ways to make your home less attractive to thieves. Things you can do to preventthem.

Most burglaries occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Burglars look for homes that appear unoccupied, and residential homes, as you know, tend to be empty during those hours because people are at work.

If you’re out of the house during those hours and are concerned about burglaries, consider setting a random timer to turn the TV or radio on during those hours. If you have a second car, keep it out in the driveway while you’re at work. Or, perhaps you can rent your driveway during the daytime (besides making your home less attractive to thieves, you can make a few extra euro).

Do you use gardening services or other home maintenance services like window cleaning? Schedule those services (which don’t require you to be at home) during those prime theft hours.

The typical house burglar is a male teen in your neighborhood—not a professional thief and 60 seconds is the most burglars want to spend breaking into your home. This suggests you only need enough security to thwart the regular person. Simple things like the “my scary dog can run faster than you” sign may be one of the most effective theft deterrents, other than—or in addition to—actually owning a scary dog. (Even a small dog prone to barking helps, though.) Regular “beware of dog” signs work too, especially if you add some additional supporting evidence of dog ownership, like leaving a dog bowl outside by your side door.

Homes without security systems are about 3 times more likely to be broken into. In lieu of actually signing up for a home security system, you could also just buy the decals and signs. Place the decals on your front door, where the majority of thieves enter.

In order of percent of burglaries, thieves come in through: the front door, first- floor windows, and back door primarily, followed by the garage and unlocked entrance.

Look at reinforcing all of these entry points, of course, but if you want to know where the best places are to put your security cameras, the front and back door and first floor windows are your best bets. Fake security cameras placed at those points might also be effective.

With your outside lighting, make sure those points of entry are well lit (motion-detector lights are inexpensive and don’t use a lot of energy) and clear of thief-hiding shrubbery.

An average of 8 to 12 minutes is all burglars spend in your home. If a thief does get into your house, you can prevent loss of your valuable objects by making them harder to find than within those 12 minutes. The dresser drawer, bedroom closet, and freezer are some of the first places thieves look, so forget about those hiding places. Instead, consider hiding things in plain sight.