Make Your Home A Castle – Protecting Against Sneaky Thieves

With crimes like home invasion and burglary on the rise it has never been more important to review your home security.  Don’t make it easy for criminals to access your property.
Theft Costs More than Money
Home theft can be a horrible crime for the victims.  Not only could you lose your valuable and sentimental possessions but you will also have to live with the knowledge that your home has been invaded.  Your privacy and security will have been compromised and this can ruin the feeling of safety that your home should provide.  It is important to use professional home alarm systems to help you prevent your family from becoming victims of this unpleasant crime.
With just a few important steps like those listed below you can help to reduce the risks of home theft and make your home a castle.
1. Neighbourhood Watch Schemes
Nosy neighbours can be annoying but they can also be a big deterrent to thieves. These criminals want to remain under the radar to avoid detection and possible capture.  Neighbourhood Watch Schemes can help communities stick together and protect each other’s properties from thieves.  See if there is a scheme in your area.  This can be an important step if you do spend a lot of time away from home for work or travel.

2. Radio Silence
Too many people reveal important details about their activities online.  Tipping off criminals that you are going to be away from home is a big mistake.  Bragging about your upcoming holiday on Twitter or Facebook for example can be risky as you just don’t know who could see it.  It is surprising just how good criminals are at putting together personal information from social networks so you do need to be careful about how much you reveal about yourself or your friends and family online.
3. Maintain an Air of Mystery
Don’t be careless with your valuables.  Invest in a safe in your property and lock items like jewellery or credit cards away when not in use.  Also consider what items you have out on show in your home.  Leaving expensive antiques, electrical equipment or valuables out in plain sight of windows can be a mistake.  Thieves will be able to easy scout out your property and see if you have anything worth stealing.  If you live in an overlooked area or close to a main road or footpath then keep expensive items out of sight and invest in net curtains or blinds to help reduce visibility.
4. Professional Alarm Systems
Home alarm systemscan provide you with professional protection options for your home.  This can take your home security to the next level.  Most thieves will be looking for easy targets where they can access properties with little risk and hassle.   Home alarm systemsoffer modern technical advances designed to make your home as difficult to access as possible for thieves.  These high tech systems can act as an important deterrent to thieves and also enable you to act fast if any suspicious activity does occur at your property.
5. Lock Windows and Doors
There is no point investing in a home alarm system if you are going to leave the windows or doors unlocked or open!  Even when you are at home you should shut and lock windows and doors in areas of the home you are not currently occupying.  One of the main ways thieves’ access homes is through windows and doors that have been carelessly left unlocked or open.  This makes their lives easy and enables them to come and go undetected.
Whenever you go out make sure you shut and lock all your windows and doors and set your alarm system.
6. Light Timers
If you are going to be away for a long period of time it can pay to invest in light timers.  These will turn lights on and off on a pre-programmed schedule.  This can help to make it appear that someone is at home to help deter thieves.  Notify a trusted neighbour that you will be away and also the times your lights will be scheduled to turn on and off.  You can also get systems that will open and close curtains on a scheduled timer to help deter thieves.
Jann Webb is a prolific blogger who writes often about crime and other topics. She understands that safety is paramount and that’s how she came accross home alarm systems in Vancouver.