Make sure your home is secure

In the burglary of single-family houses, it was shown that burglars select targets based on a number of key factors, including familiarity with the target and convenience of the location; occupancy; visibility or ease of surveying; accessibility; vulnerability or security and potential rewards.

Local security specialist Louis Grobler provided the following tips to improve security in and around homes which will help deter criminals and keep your family safe:

• Use common sense — don’t be an easy target.
• Install quality locks on doors and windows – and use them.

• Lock and close your doors and windows even when you’re home.

• Do not rely on thumb-turn locks on windows, as they can be unlocked through a broken window.

• Install deadbolt locks and peepholes on exterior doors and any interior door between the garage and house.

• Do not leave your garage door open or unlocked if you are not in the immediate area.

• Pay attention to suspicious activity or anything that appears out of place.

• Immediately report any and all suspicious activity by calling your local police in the event of an emergency.

• If you have an alarm, set it.

• Lighting is one of the best deterrents to night-time burglary — outdoor lighting is very important. Install lights by all exterior doors and make bulbs hard to reach.

• Beware of solicitors. Door-to-door salespeople must have a business license or permit issued by the city or town, so always ask to see it for verification.

• Don’t let strangers into your home—this includes workers and other—if you are not with them.

• Never give keys to people making improvements to your home.

• If you are going to be out of town, have family, friends, or neighbours check on your home.

• Do not hide spare house keys outside your home but leave them with a trusted neighbour instead.

• Photograph your valuables and engrave your property with a form of identification.

• Have locks changed or re-keyed when moving into a new home or apartment.

• Install track-type locks, drop bars, wooden dowels, or pinning devices on sliding glass doors.

• Trim shrubs around doors and windows so burglars don’t have a sheltered place to work.

• Store ladders in the garage or padlock them to fixed objects so burglars can’t use them to reach upper floor windows or the roof.