Every day, many people are victims of crimes in their own homes. Intruders are breaking into homes everywhere regardless how “good” the neighborhood is. With this being the trend, it is necessary to pose the question “how do I keep intruders out?” Through research as well as interviews with real life criminals, there is a great list of tips on how to keep your home safe and secure.

Home Security System

This is a great place to begin securing your home. There are many home security companies who will install a system for your home. Although these are great, this is not a foolproof way to protect your prized possessions. Some alarms do not respond to broken windows and other systems, if very elaborate, can actually illicit crime.

Sometimes, the criminals think you have something really valuable inside if you chose to protect with a really high dollar system. The best way to get exactly what you need is to discuss your specific situation with home security companies to determine what system is most suitable for your needs.

Make the Outside of Your Home Neat and Secure

The outside appearance of your home is very important when it comes to deterring crime. Your home should be neat and look kept. This lets a criminal know that you are aware and active in your surroundings. Untidy yards might be more of a target because there are tall bushes and excessive grass that can be hiding places for potential intruders.

They can also break in unnoticed if you have large bushes and trees that are not kept trimmed. This concept aligns with the broken window theory in reducing crime and break-ins.

[Via ProtectYourHome.com]

Give Glass Extra Protection

This is especially important if you have air conditioners in windows or if you have glass near doorknobs. These are both very easily compromised by a criminal and it will only take seconds. You need to secure air conditioners, which is very easy to do. You also might want to consider replacing doors with glass around the knobs if you are concerned about your home being targeted for crime.

You also do not want to store your valuables close to glass windows and doors because they are in the sight of a potential burglar. If the burglar cannot see the valuables, he might not bust a window to grab them.

Lights

Lights are important both inside and out. Outside lighting does not give the burglar an opportunity to sneak through the yard unnoticed. Big lights also scare them because they know they could be seen very easily in comparison to a dark yard. Indoors, a few lights would not hurt.

Although electricity is expensive, a couple of lights in strategic locations in the home will give the appearance that someone is home, even if they are not. Many criminals do not want to have a confrontation with a home owner. They really just want to grab the loot as quickly as possible and then get away.