Burglary rates in Australia have drastically fallen during the last 20 years. This drop has numerous causes, including assistance for the poor and easier access to jobs paying a living wage. However, the leading cause of this decline is the development of home security equipment.
People may secure their houses in various ways, from installing security systems like those from Casa Security to reading articles like this one that can help you identify whether your property appears to be an easy target.
This article features several ways you can keep your home safe from thieves. By the time you are done reading, you will be able to stop potential burglars in their tracks and catch any that try to break in.
How Do Burglars Choose Houses?
Most burglars choose houses that appear to be simple targets. They typically choose a home by observing a particular area and identifying the one with the most consistent patterns of who comes and goes. Additionally, they search for homes in more remote or rural areas of the community and residences with well-kept exteriors or expensive cars in the driveway.
Burglars prefer to make their tasks as simple as possible, so if they know you leave for work every day at 8 am and do not get back until 6 pm, they will probably target you while you are away.
Because many individuals take summer vacations while their children are out of school, summer is the peak season for break-ins. Over the main holidays, many people also take breaks, making their homes attractive targets for theft.
Clever thieves keep an eye on your social media activity. Many individuals enjoy updating their social media accounts with images and status updates while on vacation, but these actions make your home a popular target for burglars in Australia.
How Can You Secure Your Home?
Burglars are typically disinterested in well-lit homes with ample security measures that can slow them down. You can protect your belongings and avoid becoming an easy target for thieves by employing common sense precautions and taking the proper steps like the following.
1. Look for security flaws in your home and correct them
According to several studies, a thief will move on if it takes more than four or five minutes to break into a house. Take the time to study and “scope out” your home or apartment just as a burglar would. Consider these measures to make your home or apartment more crime-resistant, especially at places of most straightforward entry.
- Install essential security devices – Increased security measures like grates, bars, bolts, padlocks, and window or door locks can make it harder to breach into your house. Verify the functionality of the components you already have in place.
- Install lights on your property – Bring any would-be thief out of the darkness. Motion detectors and exterior lights set high up can help cut down on the covert darkness that a potential burglar has.
- Invest in surveillance equipment – These indicators warn intruders that someone is watching. A burglar is more likely to leave your house alone if they see a security camera on your property.
- Give up some privacy for more security – Before building a high wooden fence around your backyard, trim the trees and shrubs close to doors and windows and take some time to consider your options. Tall walls and bushes might increase your seclusion, but they can also help a thief enter your property undetected.
- Keep valuables hidden from plain sight – Consider moving your furniture to make your home less tempting to burglars if your priceless paintings, silver collection, or home entertainment system are visible from the outside.
2. Secure Your Home’s Entry Points
The most common method burglars use to enter a property is the front door. Additional access points include windows and garage doors in addition to front doors. A potential burglar only needs a few seconds to go through a building looking for unsecured windows and doors.
Porches and windows with screens are also security gaps in a house. A sunroom or screened-in porch might serve as a barrier for intruders trying to enter the main house.
A tech-savvy thief can also bypass or disable garage doors with automated openers. Burglars trying to access a garage would particularly consider garage doors with windows. Many homeowners disregard the garage door into their residence because they think the outer garage door offers sufficient security.
Everyone who owns a home should take the required precautions to ensure that all entryways are secured with locks, deadbolts, or mechanisms that can prevent a window or door from moving far enough.
3. Maintain Home Security Habits
What you do or say can inadvertently invite burglars to break into your home. Consider maintaining the following safety behaviours to protect your house and deter thieves:
- Create a routine to ensure windows and doors are closed, and alarm systems are activated.
- Avoid sharing personal information with unknown callers or posting your plans online or on public signs (such as giving your address when advertising items for sale).
- Call the police and your local neighbourhood watch if you encounter suspicious strangers.
- Never leave your house keys in your car in a public parking lot or with a security guard. You should also avoid carrying your house keys on a key ring with your home address.
- Keep your keys out of sight outside your house; criminals know where to look.
Conclusion
There are various ways to keep your house secure, but whether or not you use every security measure covered in this article, it is crucial to identify any weak points. Consider how many security measures you would like to have installed based on your needs and budget after considering all of the ones we have discussed in this article.
For various budgets, the market is brimming with excellent home security devices in Australia. Do your homework and look for reliable home security products with dependable and favourable reviews. Remember, you can never be too careful when protecting your home and your loved ones.