7 Tips From a Burglar’s Point of View to Keep Your Family and Residence Safer during National Safety Month
The National Safety Council designates June to focus on safety concerns in your residence and workplace, That includes keeping your family safe at home so you avoid the types of emergencies (and stress) that can tear apart your lives, destroy your peace of mind and damage your property.
At Froula Alarm, one of our main safety concerns is keeping your family, home and business safe with a robust security system. Check out the following seven tips by looking at your home from a burglar’s point of view. It sure makes things look different! You’ll get a clearer idea of the updates you need to make to keep your family members and home safer.
Got Signs?
The first thing a burglar may see on your property are signs saying you have a security system on the premises. But don’t think that deters them from changing their plans. According to a survey of 86 burglars conducted by KTVB.com, signs didn’t even faze some of the thieves. Others felt they could disable the alarm system.
But some backed off, according to a study by by Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ). So, we recommend posting signs. If you’re a Froula customer, give us a call to request security signs you can place along your driveway and in other strategic locations.
What Are Your Neighbors Doing?
If you live in a community full of homes with alarm systems, your odds of being robbed drop, says SCJ. Thieves are more likely to look in another neighborhood if they see signs of alarms and surveillance systems. Might be a good time to have a chat with your neighbors to fortify your community with security systems and monitoring.
Everything Locked and Closed?
Look around your home the next time you come home. Are all of your windows closed? Are all doors, including side and garage doors closed? Turns out most thieves break into homes through unlocked doors and windows, says KTVB.
Besides locking doors and windows, make sure you have sensors on your doors and windows. Tie the sensors into your security system so the alarm goes off if someone tries to open the door or window.
If you like cool night air to flow into your rooms, there’s a way to get it AND alert you to a thief trying to break in. Froula Alarm offers custom-made window screens with built-in sensors tied to your alarm system. If someone tries to further slide open the window, your alarm will go off.
Call us – these custom-made screen are one of our proprietary products.
Got A Key Hidden Somewhere?
Why break in and make a bunch of noise if you can just unlock the door with a key? Some thieves may look under the mat, feel along the top of the door frame or reach beneath one of those fancy rocks that actually hold a spare key to the front door. It might feel tempting to hide a spare key in these places, but we recommend going with smart locks you can operate with your smart phone.
Lights On?
Does your house look dark and unoccupied when you arrive? It’s easy to tell if no one is home if there are no lights or other electronics on inside the house. But you could fool a burglar by using smart devices that allow you to turn on the lights, stereo and television anytime you want with a simple click of your smartphone. Our customers like Honeywell’s Total Connect app for fooling would-be thieves this way.
Got Video?
Want to scare that burglar away who insists on marching right up to your door? Make it obvious you have video surveillance, as cameras are a big deterrent for would-be thieves, reports The Guardian. We recommend a combination of high resolution cameras as well as a Videofied system. Instant footage from Videofied cameras allows our monitoring service to immediately evaluate the situation and alert the police with a priority one call. Priority one calls usually get a faster response since police know they have a chance of catching the burglars in the act.
Places to Hide?
Walk around the outside of your house. Could someone hide in the shrubbery or landscaping near doors and windows? If so, you’re inviting burglars to hang out until your home is clear for a break-in. Rework the landscape, and install lighting and motion sensors to make these areas less attractive to burglars.