Tips On Preventing Break Ins In Your Home

Preventing break ins isn't just about having a good lock on your front door. It's also about being vigilant and doing your research so that you know how to discourage burglars from targeting your home or neighborhood. 

The following are six tips on break in prevention that can help you feel assured that your home is protected from theft:

Know where break ins happen

Many people assume that the vast majority of break ins happen at the front door of a home. In fact, only slightly more than a third of break ins occur at the front door. A significant portion of break ins occur in other parts of a home, including first floor windows, side entries, and garages.

Avoid focusing too much on your front door when considering theft prevention in your home. You might want to talk to a locksmith about getting good locks for other entries into your home if you want to make sure that none of your entries are susceptible to break in. 

Don't leave a spare key out

While leaving a spare key out in your yard might be convenient, it puts you at risk of being an easy target for thieves. It's not hard for thieves to discover that you've got a spare key if they're eavesdropping, so try to get by without one. 

Make it look like you're home

If you're particularly concerned about break ins during the day while you're at work, it might be worthwhile to leave a light on or turn the TV on while you're gone to make it look like someone's home.

Of course, burglars are unlikely to try to break in if they think someone's home. Be creative and think of ways to make your home look occupied all the time. 

Get to know the police in your area

There's no better source of information on burglary prevention in your area than your local police. Ask them for advice. Some local police forces will offer free security evaluations for homeowners in their areas. 

It's especially helpful to get in touch with police officers if you're leaving town for a while. In some communities, it's possible to have police check up on your home while you're away to decrease the likelihood of a break in. 

Start a neighborhood watch program

If others in you neighborhood are concerned about break ins, your community could benefit enormously from a neighborhood watch program.

Community awareness and vigilance go a long way in keeping a neighborhood from becoming overrun by crime, and a neighborhood watch program is one of the best ways to get everyone in your community on the same page when it comes to crime prevention.