Home Security Checklist – 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Home Interior Property - Securing Your Residential Property

Homeowners can stop most Residential Break and Enters (B & E). B & E offences are perpetrated mostly by unsophisticated criminals who seize immediate opportunities. Unfortunately, opportunities provided by homeowners themselves.

Specific things (opportunities) the potential offender looks for:

1) Homes which appear unoccupied (i.e. Owner/renter on vacation) - lawns not mowed, newspapers piled at the front door, mail accumulation, no lights at times (usually night) when a family might be expected to be at home;

2) Homes and neighborhoods where the owners/renters appears to be at work - mail in mailbox, packages at door, advertising flyers left at front door. A simple act of ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door can confirm this;

3) Homes in upscale neighborhoods (more to steal);

4) Open garages (entry point to the house, place to hide or steal contents);

5) An easy method of entry offering concealment - fenced-in or hedged back yards, rear or side doors/windows completely or partially shielded from view by fences, screened patios, shrubs, sheds, basement window wells;

6) Easy entry points - unlocked doors/windows, easy-to-open doors/windows (sliding windows or patio doors that can be lifted out of their tracks), breakable glass in or near doors that could allow door to be unlocked, doors that can easily be forced open using a foot, plastic card, crowbar or chisel (poor quality locks or poor installation).

Here are 10 ways to Target Harden your Dwelling whether you are away for the day or for a lengthy trip:

1) Create Light and Sound. Use automatic timers for your lights inside and motion detector lighting outside your house. New timers have a random on/off time and battery backup in case of power outages. Make it look like your house is occupied both during the day as well as at night. Attach lights and radios to these timers.

2) Leave a key with a trusted friend or neighbor so they can check, at least every 48 hours, on your home. Some home insurance policies stipulate such regular checks of your home or you void your insurance coverage. Consider a house sitter.

3) Create that lived-in look. For lengthy trips away from home, have a neighbor park a car in your driveway, keep your front door clear of newspapers/brochures and mow grass/remove snow.

4) Ensure all windows, all doors and all garage doors are locked. Disconnect power to automatic garage doors. Proper dead bolt, hinge, lock, latch and door frame installation is important to ensure doorways and windows cannot be pried open, spread apart or screws removed to allow easier forced entry into your home. Change locks on new homes or if your key has been lost. If they want in make breaking glass the only option for a criminal. Glass can be hardened, especially in and near doors, with tempered and special break-proof laminates. Use steel solid exterior doors only. Install through-door viewers to ensure you can see who in at your door before you open it. Video surveillance cameras connected to your PC and also your PDA are now reasonably priced.

5) Install an alarm system that wails loudly when tripped. Just like the flashing alarm light in your automobile, have a similar visible indicator in your front and back windows. Make potential intruders know that you have a burglar alarm system.

6) Install bars or grill work in your basement windows (these can be opened from inside in case of fire). A window well provides a convenient place for a would-be thief to take lots of time to enter your home through the basement.

7) Don't leave your garage door opener in your car when you are at work. If a thief breaks into your automobile they know your home address from your vehicle permit. If you leave your garage door opener in the vehicle, they now also have easy access to your home, while you are at work.

8) Document your possessions. Take Photos and/or Videotape all your valuables. Every year video your entire home, belongings and property. Record serial numbers on large valuables. Store all this information off-site. You now have a record of all your property incase of theft or fire.

9) Register and mark valuables through Operation Identification (contact your local Police). Obtain an engraver from your Community Police Office or buy one. Etch or engrave your driver's license number (not SSN or SIN) on valuables. If stolen and later found, Police can check with Motor Vehicles for your name and address. Keep minimum cash and valuables in your home. Secure valuables off-site (bank safety deposit box).

10) Maintain a good neighbor community. Organize a Neighborhood Watch. Look out for each other. That snoopy neighbor can be a perfect burglar alarm system.

Your home and property are part of a community and neighborhood. There is always strength in numbers. Expand your home security network. Work to have your community burglar unfriendly. Clearly let the bad guys know, “Go Somewhere Else”!




About Bizfare Enterprise Inc
Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Decor - pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia - mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts - cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music - equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Home Security Checklist – 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Home Interior Property - Securing Your Residential Property

Home Security Check - 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Exterior Property - Securing Your Residential Property from Break and Enter (B&E) and Burglary

Most Residential Break and Enters (B & E) are crimes of opportunity. They occur because homeowners provide the opportunity and there are individuals (criminal elements) willing to take advantage of the situation. Police and Community Policing efforts continue to empower communities to collectively develop partnerships aimed at delivering meaningful crime prevention and community safety initiatives like Neighborhood Watch.

The 3 major deterrents to most crimes targeting residential property include:
1) reducing opportunity
2) increasing the difficulty to perpetrate a crime of theft, burglary or intrusion
3) increasing the time required for an intruder to perpetrate the crime

all of which will increase the offenders rick of being observed and reported to police. A collective cooperation of a community and neighborhood, like the Neighborhood Watch program, does discourage local crime and drives them to go elsewhere. The real objective is “crime displacement” not “crime reduction” - Go somewhere else, but Not Here.

Residential B&E offenders are usually not sophisticated criminals. They look for the easiest target possible like unlocked windows (basement or first floor), unlocked front door and lifting patio doors out of their tracks. They could also perform simple forceful entry through doors or windows. Daytime (0900 to 1700 hours), when no one is at home, is the most common time for Residential Break and Enter crimes.

Here are 10 simple ways to Target Harden your property's Exterior Grounds and Locks, which are your first line of defense against intruders:

1) Trees and shrubs near any windows (front, back yard or sides) - ensure trees and shrubs cannot conceal a potential intruder and allow the offender to work unnoticed on doors or windows. Cut back trees and trim shrubs low from the top and trim them up from the ground. Remove them if they can conceal a person. (increase the rick of being observed)

2) Sheds or any other out buildings - ensure no one can hide behind sheds or other buildings. (increase the rick of being observed)

3) Hedge, Perimeter Bushes or Fence - does their height, density or privacy allow for offender concealment. Again allowing offenders to work unobserved on rear windows and doors. Lock gates forcing the offender to scale over the fence. (increase the difficulty and the time)

4) Motion Detectors and Lights - use motion detectors on lighting so that when the lights come on the neighbors know something or someone is moving around your house. A motion detector could be applied to trigger a radio show to play inside the house, just like a similar application in the movie Ferris Beuller's Day Off. Make it look like someone could be at home. (reduce the opportunity and increase the rick of being observed)

5) Timers and Day/Night Timers - Light up your garden, pathways, sidewalks and your property with low voltage and LED lighting. These are beautiful landscaping touches to your property as well.(increase the rick of being observed)

6) Barking dog - A dog inside your house that barks on the slightest motion or noise outside your house is a great opportunity reducer. A big barking dog is even better. Some police feel a barking dog is more effective than an burglar alarm system. As a simple alternative, a radio set on a talk channel will make it appear like the house is occupied. The offender will hear conversation coming from inside the dwelling. (reduce the opportunity and increase the rick of being observed)

7) Ladders - Remove all climbable objects like ladders, trellises, BBQ, picnic table, trees close to the house. These could be used to gain access to second floor windows and balconies. Remove, lock-up, cut down as necessary. (increase the difficulty and the time)

8) Telephone and Cable - shield and protect so they cannot be cut from outside your house. Monitored alarm systems typically require the use of the telephone or cable connection. (reduce the opportunity)

9) Parking and Garage – ensure your parking area and garage door(s) are visible to the street. Keep your garage door(s) closed when you are not in the front yard and lock your vehicles. Don't make it easy for an offender to just walk into your garage and steal what they want. (reduce the opportunity)

10) Locks - good locks (and chains where appropriate) on your shed, gate, BBQ and picnic table. Ensure nothing can get moved. Locks on your doors and windows will receive more detailed discussion under a separate article on securing your Interior Property. (reduce the opportunity and increase the difficulty)

Your home and property are both your castle and your fortress. Be smart and keep your home safe for your family and friends. With some common sense and the help of your local hardware store, you can keep the good inside and clearly let the bad guys know, “Go Somewhere Else”!





About Bizfare Enterprise Inc
Bizfare Enterprise Inc provides a secure online shopping experience for high quality products and professional services. Products sold through inter-linked websites include: Fashion - clothing, jewelry, leather accessories; Home and Garden Decor - pewter, room accents, recreation; Collectibles & Memorabilia - mohair bears, photographs, sports items; Hobbies & Crafts - cooking, DIY wood projects, gardening, Music - equipment and services. Bizfare Enterprise Professional Services provide our clients with applied real world experience in Business and Channel Sales and Development, Internet Marketing, Commercial Photography, Personal Development and Professional Writing Services.

Home Security Check - 10 Simple Steps to Securing Your Exterior Property - Securing Your Residential Property from Break and Enter (B&E) and Burglary

Simple House and Personal Security - Neighborhood Watch

This practical and simple Security Tip comes from Neighorhood Watch.

If you don't have an alarm system in your home, this may be the next best
thing.

I'M SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA SET OF KEYS. PUT A SET BY YOUR BEDSIDE
TABLE. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DETERRENTS I HAVE EVER RECEIVED!!!

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key chain.

It works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around....after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....

This is something that should really be shared with everyone.

Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime!

Simple House and Personal Security - Neighborhood Watch