Burglar Security

Summertime, and the opportunities get easy…for burglars

OK, so perhaps the definition of “burglary” applies more for things that get stolen from insode of a home. But, that isn’t going to come as any consolation when your brand new bikes get taken from the front lawn!

Photo credit: JasonTromm

As temperatures rise, more and more people are outside at late hours, looking for easy crimes of opportunity including petty theft. Home owners should use common sense at this time of year by ensuring their personal possessions and homes are secure.

Warmer weather means more people are out and about and using modes of transportation like bicycles, If you are using a bike, you should make sure to lock it up or keep it in the garage.

This time of year is when the incidents of stolen bicycles start to rise. Most commonly they are taken from local yards, open garages and schoolyards. It’s also a good idea to mark your bikes with engraving to help with reclaiming it in the event of a theft.

Workmen sometimes have other ways of making money

There are great and honest odd-job guys, cable guys, painters, decorators, oddjob guys but there are also crooks in disguise who are on the look-out for a new target.

It’s kind of perfect…if you think about it from the burglar’s perspective.

You gain access to the home, you can see any valuables and portable goods.

You can take a good look around while you are performing whatever task that comprises your “day job”.

You even get a good look at the security mechanisms from the inside.

• No dog- check.
• Patio sliding door easy to pop-check.
• Cash and valuable in a free-standing safe in upstairs bedroom-check.
• Easy access from downstairs bathroom window- check…

Photo credit: cjc4454

As if all that wasn’t enough, you could even leave a window unlocked someplace- say a bathroom window after you have made use of the facilities.

Be careful when you let strangers into your home, and be rigorous with your doors and windows security.

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, doors and windows, visitor ID, workmen ID

Don’t Leave “Easy Target” Written All Over Your Home

When you’re preparing for a well-deserved break someplace, be sure to take care of a few details that might otherwise let a burglar know that you’re not home.

Photo credit: Justin

Newspapers, mail and fliers can help burglars

• Is it obvious when you don’t pick up your mail?
• Can you see through parts of the front door?
• What about through a side window?
• If someone leaves a flier sticking out of your letterbox then how long will it stay there?

Believe it or not, this is a ploy that is used by burglars- they leave fliers in letterboxes and then the ones which haven’t been taken out a few days later are like little flags that let them know that nobody is home.

Think like a burglar and see how many potential problem areas you can identify.

Where you find one, be sure to rectify the situation. In one place I lived before, neighbours would sometimes use the driveway of their vacationing neighbour to park their car. They would collect the mail and clear away fliers.

Simple actions like these can help protect your home from burglars looking for home owners on vacation.

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, helpful neighbours, mailbox, vacation burglar security

Do Fences Help or Hinder Burglars?

Flickr Image Credit Kevin H.

When you’re looking though the “burglar’s eye” (i.e. analysing your own home for weakness) be sure to include the fencing. If you have a tall fence then it could deter some burglars.

On the other hand it could make it a lot easier for other burglars since, once having gained access (oops, did someone leave the gate unlocked?) they then have plenty of cover- no one outside can see them and they have ample time to break in, safe in the knowledge that no one can see them and report the crime.

Again, it’s all about understanding the system you are trying to protect. Think like a burglar and be sure to factor in times of day and lighting conditions into your “attack” theories. Once you have identified an area of vulnerability- like the fence example above then simply start investigating ways to counteract the threat, or remove it entirely.

Flickr image credit: cdsessums

The means need not be hi-tech or expensive. For example, if you have a tall fence and are worried about burglars being given cover then you might consider the following countermeasures:

• guard dog
• external lighting
• CCTV camera
• take down the fence
• replace the fence

Take advice from experts in your area, educate yourself on the pros and cons of different types of fences and security measures available to you.

Just don’t bury your head in the sand or be complacent, home security starts with you at home.

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, cctv, fences, guard dog, outdoor wall lighting, security camera, security fences, security locks, vacation burglar security

So in this story from the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/nyregion/03soho.html?src=mv&ref=nyregion
we hear about a spate of burglaries in the fahionable district of SoHo.

by Urban Mixer

For me it’s kind of surprising that a store (Kors) could be burgled three times! If it were my store, or my home then I’d make sure that I

1. identified the hole in my security. Then
2. I’d take swift steps to counteract that with stronger measures.

Maybe the store managers were just too slow to react (but three times?).
Maybe they weren’t allowed to change a thing about the appearance of the store front (though does toughened glass look any different from regular glass?).
Or maybe they figured that being burlged is like lightning striking and that they would have to be awfully unlucky to get struck again (and again)?

The sad thing is, is that burglars, when they find a target to exploit, like to keep going back to the same place.

Why try to overcome a hard security measure when you already know about a much easier one?

I don’t know about what other security mechanism the Kors store may have had in place, but I do know this:
Your security is only as strong as your weakest link.

Think like a burglar and make sure your weakest links aren’t glaringly obvious.

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, doors and windows, safet glass, store burglaries, weakest link

Flickr chrissatchwell

Making your home more secure is a great idea for many reasons. Did you know that as well as buying yourself peace of mind and making your home a harder target for burglars, you can also get cheaper home insurance?

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, home insurance, lighting, outdoor wall lighting, security lighting

As this story about a burglar breaking into a bank in reminds us, even banks aren’t that safe! It seems that some banks are just as susceptible to unprotected windows as homes can be.

Banks traditionally employ a lot of security measures  like a large safe, panic buttons for staff, CCTV and even armed guards. However many security measures you employ though, the lure of a high reward is motivation enough for thieves to attempt even an ambitious target.

However as you’ll see from the story, the burglar certainly did not hit the jackpot on this occasion. The contents of the safe were not touched and the bank managed to hold onto the majority of its valuables and cash.

What can we learn from this?

First don’t provide high motivation for a burglar. If you have a priceless antique then it is not a good idea to display it at the window out in the open for all to see. You might as well have a neon sign that reads “Steal Me!”.

Of course I’m not suggesting that you hide away all your possessions, but you must think carefully about the value of certain items and then protect them accordingly. Invest in a secure cabinet or other measures to protect the valuables according to their worth, which is the second thing that the bank did. They made sure that the highest value goods were safely protected behind their highest security measure.

So while it’s not worth locking and unlocking your safe on a daily basis to safeguard your day to day jewelry, it is worth it to lock up your most precious pieces- where sentimental worth counts alongside monetary value.

Try to get into good habits with safeguarding items that you would be devastated to lose and remember to look over your home with a “burglar’s eye” every so often- better you than the burglar!

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, doors and windows

Read the following link for the all-too-familiar tale of a burglary.
http://www.currentargus.com/ci_13536071
A pair of burglars have now robbed the same place twice leaving the widow who lives there terrified to leave her home.
The first time they entered it was though a back door that was unlocked. Back doors are a classic entry method for burglars because they tend to be less well lit and more secluded.
If your back door is like this then invest in lighting to make any prowler think twice.
The second time they came back, doubtless they tried that same back door but when it was locked they got in through the sliding glass door.
Sliding glass doors are another classic way to gain entry.

Remember that 9 times out of 10 burglars are looking for the easiest and fastest ways in and there’s almost like a burglar’s check list with the easiest ways in at the top, progressively getting harder, more time-consuming and therefore riskier for the burglar.

Do yourself and your family a huge favour and make a burglar’s check list of your own for your home.
What are the easiest ways to get in to your home? If you had 3 minutes to gain entry to your home, how would you do it?
Once you have identified the “low hanging fruit” of security gaps in your home, just methodically improve the security of each so that they no longer present as attractive ways in for a burglar.
Bottom line- Make it hard for these guys and you’ll make it easier on yourself and your family.

By burglar security

Technorati Tags: burglar prevention, doors and windows, getting started, guard dog, neighbours, security lighting, security locks, security shopping

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-10367994-248.html

Just a thought, but a great option in a pinch.

Photo Credit: CNET / Josh Lowensohn

By burglar security

Technorati Tags: security camera