North Carolina Home Security Alarm – Keeping Your Loved Ones Well Protected
March 11th, 2010 by users
Having the sanctuary of your home invaded is a traumatic experience that can hurt as much psychologically as financially. There are some things a homeowner can do on their own to help protect themselves. For the installation of the most current alarms, locks, and other hardware and equipment your best bet is to consult with a North Carolina home security expert.
The best way to prevent a burglary in the first place is to make your home too big of a hassle for a burglar to spend their time on. Most burglars do not choose their victims randomly. Instead, they are seeking a specific set of circumstances so they can enter and leave quickly. They want access to be easy and quick, with good cover so they cannot be observed. They want the home to be unoccupied. They want an easy way to leave the scene of their crime. Your objective in defending your home is to make breaking into it a difficult and risky task.
Most burglars enter through a garage door or a back door because these entry points have the most cover. It is common for thieves to steal from a car even when it is in a locked garage. Therefore, always lock your car doors and do not leave valuables in sight even when your car is parked in your garage. All doors should be a solid core or metal door with a heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt. This includes the door between the inside of your house and your garage.
Burglars will often kick a door open. Use a four-screw, heavy-duty, high security strike plate installed with 3-inch wood screws. A burglar seeing this will most likely pass your house up in favor of an easier target. Sliding glass patio doors are particularly vulnerable. Sliding glass doors should have a secondary blocking device. It is important to keep the latch mechanism and rollers in good condition and properly adjusted. Use through-the-door pins or upper track screws. Put alarm, beware of dog, or neighborhood watch decals on the door.
Open windows are an invitation to burglars, particularly ground door or basement windows. They should never be left opened or unlocked. All windows should have secondary blocking devices installed. Use a device that will allow a window to only be opened a maximum of six inches. Burglars will try to open a door by reaching through an open window.Check to make sure this can not be done.
Organizing with neighbors can be a great anti-crime program. Meet with your neighbors and agree to look out for each other. Be on the alert for suspicious activity and report it to the authorities. Arrange to have lawns mowed and mail picked up when you are going to be away from home. Have a neighbor park in your driveway when you are gone. The trick is to have your home not appear to be unoccupied. Never hide your house key outside. Instead allow a trusted neighbor to have a key.
Have the exterior of your house well lighted with infra-red motion sensor lights in the rear. Entryways and pathways should be well lighted. Criminals hate light because they do not want to be seen. Use timers to create the illusion that your home is occupied when you are away. Have the timers turn lights on and off in logical patterns. Timers can be used to turn on TV sets too.
The first rule of preventing home burglary is simply making your home an unattractive target. There are a lot of steps that you can do on your own. Locks, alarms and other devices must be installed properly in order for them to do the job they were designed to do. If you lack the do-it-yourself expertise, then there are many excellent companies who can help you. Find a expert today.