There’s a relatively new home security system which offers a personal greeting to the intruding burglar. “Attention, this is alarm central station,” a live voice booms over a phone speaker. “Please identify yourself immediately. Police have been dispatched!”

This live-voice home security technology has been developed because burglars are learning to ignore regular mechanical alarms.

This wireless, portable security system lets operators at a security monitoring centre speak directly to the homeowner, or burglar, through an automatically triggered intercom system.

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Dig a moat around your house and a burglar will beat a path to your neighbor’s door, or so goes the notion. But the problem is that no matter how security-conscious you might be, it’s uncomfortably confining to live in a fortress.

In the real world, protecting your home and valuables comes down to a compromise between what makes you feel secure and what level of inconvenience you’re willing to tolerate. Homeowners in the inner city, for example, tend to hide behind iron bars, while those in more affluent communities generally count on alarm systems.

A dark-color house that has big overhangs and a recessed front door with no exterior lights but lots of trees and heavy shrubbery is an invitation to trouble. Setting up multiple roadblocks that steer intruders away from your house is a homeowner’s best protection. The more obstacles, the better chance of keeping the crooks out or at least slowing them down.

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Two houses sit next to each other on the same street. The one on the right has an elaborate home security system complete with motion detectors, an outdoor siren, an inside alarm and a telephone connection to the police department. The one on the left doesn’t have an alarm system. Which home is protected against burglary?

You can protect your home by taking precautions. Technological advances make the newest alarm systems more reliable and efficient than those on the market just a few years ago. The motion detectors are much more stable, control panels have a lot more options. Today we’ve got a little mini-computer looking at what’s going on in front of it, and all central processing units have microprocessors.

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An electronic German shepherd door alarm is effective. When someone touches the door knob, the unit plays a lifelike bark of a 100-pound shepherd. There are also timer controlled motorized kits that open and close curtains for an at-home look. A combination lock deadbolt is inexpensive and effective. There are no keys for children to lose. The combination can be changed anytime.

If a burglar does get in a window, he cannot open the door to carry things out. Even if a budget allows for only two sensors, an emergency dialer is a plus. Push an emergency button to automatically call the police. If the smoke alarm goes off while you are away, the fire department is called.

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If your idea of a good home security system is a broom handle inserted in a sliding glass door track, a burglar is liable to sweep your valuables right out from underneath your feet. The broom handle has become America’s standard security system and, although it may have worked once, it no longer is enough.

Homeowners today must take precautions in establishing strong security protection in and around the home. The key is to make your house key the only way to enter your home. To prevent burglars from doing their job, take seriously the security of your house. The following checklist will help you determine whether your home is safe.

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