Be aware of who you’re buying a burglar alarm from

Police agencies are planning to lobby the government to set up some legislative guidelines regarding the companies who sell the equipment, but in the meantime, it remains a buyer beware market.

Find out if they’re reputable. A lot of them look in the papers to see what homes have been broken into, then they contact the owners to see if they want to buy a home security system.

Someone who has just experienced a break-in is probably more vulnerable to this type of sale. And those who do purchase security devices for their home must be prepared to take on some additional responsibilities. For example, if they go away for the weekend who, apart from the police, is going to attend to the alarm?

Police have frequently dealt with complaints from neighbors who have had to listen to an audible alarm ring for extended periods of time. Have a neighbor or a relative who is willing to attend the alarm along with the police, so there is someone with a key for police to enter the residence to investigate and someone who can disengage the alarm.

If the burglar alarm is monitored, the company which it’s hooked up to usually requires that at least two alternate key holders are listed to respond if the homeowner isn’t available. Residential alarms tend to cost police departments a lot of time and money, since many are false alarms. If you trip your own alarm system, don’t wait until police arrive. Contact the monitoring company or the police to let them know it’s a false alarm.

If you don’t have an alarm system, don’t be a hero. Contact 911 and stay on the line until the police advise you to hang up. Don’t try to catch a burglar on your own.

One of the least expensive ways to provide a more secure home is to purchase and install proper dead bolts on doors and locks on windows.

• Never leave cash, valuable jewelry or art objects in the house when you go on holiday. Tuck all valuables away in your safety deposit box.

• Never hide a key anywhere. Even amateur thieves will look under a doormat, a flower pot or in a mailbox for a key.

• Never leave informative notes (“Mary, an extra key is…”) on a desk, door or table.

• Always leave a radio on somewhere in the house, and a light on, from dusk to dawn, over every entry door. Electricity costs less than house contents. But don’t leave outside lights on during the day to convey the message that no one is home to turn them off.

Deadbolt locks

• Make sure tree limbs can’t be used as entry to your house, and that trees and shrubs are trimmed so they don’t hide a burglar’s efforts to break in.

• Place portable appliances and entertainment equipment so it can’t be seen from a window or door.

• Install deadbolt locks on every entry door and ensure that there is no space around a door frame for a thief to insert a pry bar or screwdriver to jimmy the door open.

• Ensure that garages and storage sheds are adequately locked and pay attention to what you store in them. Mowers, blowers, boats, motors and snowmobiles are much sought after by robbers.

• Make sure the place doesn’t look empty or uninhabited. Leave some curtains open, others closed.

• Mark your belongings by borrowing an electric engraver from your local police headquarters. Or buy an engraver at a local hardware store, they’re not expensive. By engraving a portion of your social insurance number or your driver’s license number on your personal property items, you make it difficult for robbers to fence what they steal.

Homeowners need to quit making it easy for a burglar. The best way to do that is by making a complete check of your house and outside property to determine where a burglar could enter. Doors and windows in most homes won’t stop a determined burglar.

Some things to protect your home include:

• Every exterior door should have a dead-bolt lock with a one-inch throw.

• Those moving into a new house or apartment should consider re-keying the locks.

• Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks with a rigid wooden dow in the track.

• Lock double-hung windows by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each corner or the inside sash and part way through the outside sash.

• Don’t hide keys to locks in mailboxes, planters or under the doormats. Give a duplicate key to a trusted neighbor instead.

• Make sure outside doors, including the one between the house and garage, are solid 1-inch metal or hard wood.

• Doors should tightly fit in their frames and hinges should be on the inside.

• Install a peephole or wideangle viewer in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door.

• Teach children safety rules about answering the door and phone, along with how to get out if there’s a fire.

When it comes to the outside of a house, a homeowner should walk the entire perimeter and look for every possible way in which someone can enter their house. To discourage burglars from selecting your home as their place of work, the following things should be done:

• Prune any shrubbery that hides doors or windows and cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into second story windows.

• All porches, entrances and yards need to be well-lighted.

• Keep ladders and tools inside the garage or basement when not in use.

• When going away, people should put lights and a radio on timers to create the illusion that someone is home. Leave curtains, blinds and shades in normal positions. Always stop mail and newspaper deliveries.

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.

If an alarm system isn’t two-way voice you’re throwing your money away. If there isn’t two-way voice how does that burglar know that police are on the way?

Well, if you were a burglar and you heard that (a security guard’s voice) are you going to stick around?

The incidence of false alarms is rising. Almost 90% of all alarms are false, and police in some cities refuse to answer an alarm after four false calls from a home or business.

The proliferation of false alarms makes it important to have a monitored system because operators first check to determine if an alarm’s genuine.

With this live-voice security system homeowners can make instant contact with monitoring operators via the intercom system. If forgetful homeowners trip an alarm, they simply call put and assure the security centre it’s false.

Once the alarm is triggered, operators at the central station can hear any noise in the house and speak to the occupants via a sensitive two-way speaker located in a specially built phone. The system’s control box clamps on under the phone and is simply picked up and carried along if a homeowner relocates.

1. Check your home, keeping in mind how you would break in. Why would you choose this home if you were a burglar.

2. When burglar-proofing your home, keep in mind fire safety. You should install smoke detectors and have fire extinguishers ready to use.

3. Trim shrubbery below window level. If shrubbery conceals a good lock, the lock becomes ineffective.

4. High fences can be good privacy, but can also provide good concealment for the burglar. Keep pad locks on gates.

5. House numbers should be placed on the front and back of the house. This aids in emergency response.

6. Lighting properly displayed can be a great deterrent to a would-be burglar. You want lighting to come down on what your are trying to light up, such as a light on a pole in an alley.

7. Main entry doors should be sturdy. Hinges should have a pin in them so they can’t be removed. Doors should be solid wood or metal. The door lock should be a deadbolt, with at least a one-inch thick throw bolt and should be equipped with a hefty cylinder guard. The strike plate should be held in place with 2 1/2 inch screws or longer. You may also consider a flange plate around the lock to protect doors from kick attack.

8. Garage doors should have a pin placed behind the wheel in the frame of the door, the garage door leading into the home should be secured with a deadbolt. If you use a double-key deadbolt, a key should be in the lock at all times when someone is in the home.

9. Windows should be secured with a second locking device. A removable pin in the frame offers good security. Remember fire safety.

10. Mark and take photographs of all property. The recommended way of marking property is to use an electrical engraver and to imprint your driver’s license number. An engraver may be checked out from the police department.

11. Spread your property throughout your home, making it harder for the burglar to locate items such as guns, jewelry, money and stereos. If if takes a burglar longer than 15 seconds, he or she probably will not get in.

You can keep your house safe and discourage burglars from approaching your home in the first place if you trim shrubs away from windows and doors, and install motion-activated lights near all points of entry – especially those not visible to neighbors and passers-by.

Digital door locks, like those on high-end autos, are now an option for homes. The advantage is you don’t need a key – just punch the code.

The best burglar-resistant doors are solid wood or metal rather than hollow-core. It’s safer to use a peephole (rather than a sliding-chain lock) to see who’s outside. One option to consider is installing an exterior video camera with an interior receiver.

An alarm system, too, may be worthwhile if you own expensive antiques, silver, jewelry or electronic equipment. The best alarm systems, rather than sounding an alarm that only the neighbors hear, are hooked up to a central security control. These have a staff who will respond around the clock.

Sophisticated systems detect whether the alarm is from a fire or a burglary, and even what part of the house was affected. If you’re a security-conscious homeowner and want to keep your house safe, you’ll want to follow these guidelines:

Door frames and doors should be strong enough to prevent forcing; hinges should be on the inside, not outside.

No windows in doors, or at least none within 40 inches of the locks (so the glass can’t be broken and the lock turned).

All entrances are lighted, and the front entrance can be seen from the street.

Sliding-glass doors are secured so they cannot be lifted out of their tracks.

All doors and windows have adequate locks, and no doors or windows are inviting to burglars.

Ladders are not kept outside the house where they might be accessible.

The electric garage door can be deactivated when you are on vacation.

You have to be very conscious of the fact that the comfort of your home is now on the lower level than it was 20 years ago. There is a bigger risk of burglaries and home invasions. For that reason, you should really think of getting an additional security by making some small changes in your home like fastening the doors, windows, and other areas.

Many people have found out that motion detection lighting can be very helpful to them. It deters a possible burglar to break into your home, and also alerts you to any strange things that might be happening outside of it. Besides, it gives you time to send a call to the police if there is need for it.

Another way people can make sure that they are safe in their home is to check the locks on the windows and doors of their home. Many homes have locks which allow an intruder an easy access to the house. Because of that, it is better to strengthen them by kits or even replace them all.

Usually, people have shrubbery around their houses. This can give a nice look to their home, but it can also be a perfect place for burglars because they can hide and watch people coming and leaving waiting for the best time to break in. Hence, you are advised to trim them as that can prevent this from happening to you.

However, if you think of buying come good home security system it does not necessarily mean giving a huge amount of money for it. Some cheap methods are also available. Spending some time in order to provide an easy home security does not involve more than just a simple click on your mouse.  In the end, you will feel satisfied for making a worthwhile investment.

All in all, getting additional security to your home should really be of your main concern, taking into account that the crime rate increases more and more these days. Fortunately, there is a wide range of options and you can certainly find home security system which best fits your needs.