Home security can often feel like an afterthought, right? However, in an era where over 209,000 burglaries were reported in the last twelve months alone, it’s unwise to ignore its importance. Most of the challenge with home security comes from knowing where to start, though!
That’s why we wanted to give you a professional review of what our team at Doncaster Lock & Key recommend. As locksmiths who have been in the trade for decades, we know a thing or two about security. To help you improve your home security, we recommend running through a simple five-point checklist.
If you keep these security measures in mind, you’ll find it much easier to keep your home safer. At the same time, these methods will also make sure that your home is far less likely to be a target for the growing number of house invaders, burglars and thieves loitering around in our communities.
A Five-Step Process For Making Your Home Feel Like A Fortress
If you want to make sure that you can limit the risk of being targeted for a break-in attempt, we highly recommend that you do the following:
Invest In Motion-Operated Home Security Lighting
First and foremost, prevention is better than the cure. That’s the same when it comes to security. If your home looks too daunting to even attempt breaking into, you avoid the risk of a robbery almost entirely. That’s why our first recommendation is to invest in some motion-controlled lighting.
Having these lights around your property’s perimeter is a great starting place. If your home illuminates like a firework display, most criminals will be too scared to even attempt a break-in at your place. Start by investing in some motion-controlled lights.
This means they only turn on when motion is detected – you’ll spend less on power and get the same level of crime prevention that you need.
Criminals are generally selective of where they try to rob. If they think they might get caught in the act, they are far more likely to look for an easier target. And when you pair your motion sensors with the next checklist objective, you’ll find most criminals will be scared stiff of trying to rob your home!
Pair Security Lights With CCTV Camera Systems
If your property’s perimeter is well-lit, there are fewer hiding spots and blind spots for a thief to hide in. However, if criminals know that your home is constantly being recorded, they’ll be far less likely to take the risk. Even daredevil criminals are put off by seeing CCTV cameras on your building.
Having security cameras around your property perimeter is like having a 24/7 security guard with 20/20 vision. Indoor and outdoor security cameras immediately scare criminals. If they get caught in the act, there is now video proof of their ill-got gains and misdeeds.
That makes it easier for them to be prosecuted, so most simply move on to one of the UK’s many properties without cams.
We recommend having both indoor and outdoor cameras, though. External cameras stop most from even attempting a break-in. For those who do get inside, though, they are now caught in Full HD. You can also set up your security cameras to trigger alerts for motion detection and property intrusions. Therefore, you can respond accordingly whether you’re at home, at work, or on holiday.
Secure Your Property’s Interior With Home Alarm Systems
We also highly recommend investing in a home alarm system. These alarms will provide you with a great way to make sure that, if anyone does get into your home, they’ll be letting the whole street know of their entry. You can find home alarms of all shapes, sizes, styles and functionalities.
Once these alarms are tripped, an immediate alarm is sounded. That alone is enough to scare off most criminals, especially if they then see a high-definition camera system recording their shocked face.
This is just another obstacle that a criminal would need to bypass. If paired with your lighting and CCTV camera systems, you create a hat-trick of security systems that work in harmony.
Just remember to set up your alarm systems when you leave the house and when you go to bed. You can set systems to be easily disabled with the right PIN or access code. If you go down the smart security route, you can even enable or disable them with a mobile app, making it easier than ever to ensure that internal security standards match your external security!
Keep Keys & Valuables Out Of Sight
As locksmiths, do you know how many homes we’ve attended in the aftermath of a break-in where the criminal got in because keys were left right at the front door?!
It’s a common mistake, and one that is innocent enough but easily exploited. If your keys or valuables are stored near your door, it only takes a criminal to smash a door window or fish through the letterbox to snatch them.
Avoid keeping access credentials in your home or car near the main entrances. Instead, secure them in spaces that cannot be seen from your windows.
Speaking of letterboxes, add extra security to your letterbox. Install a letterbox guard so people cannot stick their hand through or start fishing around for ways to unlock your doors.
Invest In Modern Locks
Our final suggestion on the checklist is to make sure your frontline of defence stands up to the test of time. Locks upgrade and change all the time; what was state-of-the-art home security five years ago could very well be obsolete now. That’s why we cannot recommend installing high-security British Standard locks in all entrances to your home enough.
Given that around 10% of burglaries occur because someone can just open your door & walk in, get into the habit of locking your doors at all times. If you are the forgetful sort, invest in smart door locks; they can be set to auto-lock as soon as you enter the house for total peace of mind.
Keep these ideas in mind, and you should find it much easier to make your home unappealing to break-ins. The more you can do to ward off an unwanted entrant, the less likely you are to deal with such a scenario at any stage in your life.
For help securing your home, contact our team at Lock & Key; we can provide a home security survey to put the above in place!