Nine Of The Best Ways To Secure Your Home
Our homes are almost certainly the largest investment we will ever make, as well as being a sanctuary for us and our families to feel safe and sound all of the time. For this reason, it’s absolutely essential to always ensure that the security measures we take are robust and will put enough barriers up to deter criminals.
It’s an unfortunate reality that, here in the UK, the vast majority of reported burglaries go unsolved, so it’s imperative that homeowners do everything they can to ensure that their homes are well-protected.
Startlingly, around 95% of robberies and burglaries are unsolved by police because of the challenges associated with identifying and apprehending criminals. More work is currently being done to ensure that these figures improve, however, it’s also critical for homeowners to also do as much as possible to put as many barriers between them and burglars.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve provided nine ideas for you to consider which will help ensure you and your family do not fall victim to crime.
Installing a CCTV camera system is one of the very best ways to secure your home. By placing a network of security cameras around your property, you’ll be able to keep an eye on your home at all times and from every angle. As well as providing you with unrivalled views of your property from within, you’ll also be deterring any would-be criminals and will be able to provide evidence of a crime to the police if a burglary was to take place.
The vast majority of crimes - especially burglaries and robberies - are opportunistic. A potential burglar is far more likely to rob a home if they see a perfect opportunity to get away with the crime quickly and if the risk is worth the reward. By making criminals think twice with the installation of a CCTV system, it’s far less likely that they will take the risk as the consequences could be significantly higher. Footage of them committing a crime means that the likelihood of capture increases dramatically.
Burglar alarms are another great way to both deter burglars and provide a means for them to be apprehended by the authorities. The loud noise emitted from a burglar alarm lets the surrounding community know that a crime is taking place and the criminal is more than likely to be scared off when the alarm is triggered.
Some burglar alarm systems even direct a message to a company who will then notify the police that a burglary is taking place at your property. This is an excellent option if a break-in occurs during a holiday period when many neighbours may be away. Burglar alarms can even increase the value of your home and decrease your insurance.
Having sturdy and secure windows and doors is vital for your home security. If the entrance points to your home - whether that’s the front door, back door or living room window - looks as though it would be relatively simple to break in to, they may be targetted by criminals. When doors and windows are flimsy, they can be broken easily and provide burglars with a simple point of entry. With that in mind, it’s worth ensuring that all windows and doors in your home are robust and locked at any time you are out to provide a difficult barrier between the street and your property.
As well as ensuring that all of your doors and windows are sturdy and difficult to break into, it’s also critical that your locking system is up to scratch. If your locks are dated or damaged, then it’s certainly time that you invest in upgrades.
You should update your locks with a ‘tamper-proof’ product and ensure that any and all external locks are secured with high-quality deadbolts and that the handles cannot easily be removed. Also, consider whether it would be beneficial for any of your doors to feature a second lock for extra security.
If you have any precious items which require some additional security - like expensive jewellery, important documents or family heirlooms - then it’s worth considering installing a safe at your home. If a burglar does manage to gain entrance to your home, you won’t want to have to your most valuable objects on display. Having a secure and heavy safe discreetly located will better protect those important items you couldn’t live without.
Criminals rarely ever want to be seen in the spotlight, which is why automated security lights are always such an effective deterrent against burglars. By installing numerous lights at the front, back and sides of your home, you can make life much more difficult for criminals and place yet more barriers to them getting away with burglary. Motion-activated lights are a sure-fire way to make any criminals skittish when setting them off in the middle of a crime.
This may seem obvious, but having valuables in plain view from the window is often cited as the main reason that homes are targetted by burglars. Particularly if you’re not in the house, it’s essential to ensure that all blinds and curtains are drawn to prevent burglars getting a view into your home and seeing valuables which they believe are worth stealing. It’s also important to keep your keys out of sight and out of reach of the door so that an intuitive burglar can’t gain access to your home using them.
Be Inventive With Your Spare Key Hiding Place
It’s important that you have a spare key for your home somewhere, as losing your only pair is an inconvenience which can cost significant time and money. However, leaving your spare in a predictable location like underneath a doormat or a plant pot is simply asking for trouble.
These areas are one of the first places a burglar will look if they know you are out of the house. Instead, consider buying one of the more sophisticated key hideaway products like a fake tap or drain.
Alternatively, if you live across the road from a park or field, you could drive a nail into the bottom of a tree and hang your key from there. If the key is found by anyone, they will not know which house on your road it belongs to.
Finally, if you own a garage, ensure that it is well protected with secure garage doors. This entry to your property is becoming more and more popular for criminals to breach as there are often valuable items in the garage and the door may sometimes be left unlocked by accident.
First of all, always keep your door remote on the inside of your home so that a burglar can’t gain access via your car and also ensure that the door you have is high quality and kept locked at all times. If your garage doors are showing signs of age or fragility, make sure you update them at the earliest opportunity.
Looking For Garage Doors In Mildenhall? Look No Further Than Thoroughbred Garage Doors
Do you want to improve the security of your home or commercial property with the installation of garage doors or industrial doors? Here at Thoroughbred Industrial Doors, we’ve been providing our customers with high-quality, bespoke garage doors for more than two decades.
We provide a full service which includes the installation, repair and ongoing maintenance of a number of different styles of doors. Whether you require, sliding doors, roller shutter doors or fire doors, we have you covered. If you’re looking for a reliable garage door company, look no further than Thoroughbred Garage Doors - we can keep your home or business secure and provide you with peace of mind.
To find out more, please feel free to contact us today. You can find us in Mildenhall at Unit 30 James Carter Road, Mildenhall Industrial Estate, Mildenhall, Suffolk IP28 7DE or call us on 01638 718 718 and Royston at Unit 6C, Highfield Business Park, Kneesworth, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5JT or call us on 01763 250 777. Alternatively, emails us at sales@thoroughbreddoors.co.uk.
