TweetYour home is your castle, your safe haven and your port in a storm. Well, it should be. There have been only too many cases of homes being broken into, for burglaries at best and assault, etc. at worst. Home security systems are a must for everyone. But what works?

Dogs: an age-old method of defending your home from intruders.  Some breeds of dog are “watch dogs”, which means that they give the alert that an intruder (or a visitor) is approaching the property. Others are “guard dogs” which means that not only will they give the alarm, but they are capable of defending you if needs be. If you choose a guard dog type, you do not have to take any special steps to make sure that the dog is “tough” enough to defend you – you don’t want it attacking the meter reader or your neighbour. Dogs defend what they love, so treat a dog well.  Dogs, of course, aren’t suitable for every household – some people are allergic and other homes are not permitted pets.

House and garden design: A burglar is not likely to attempt a break-in in full view of the street and will want to tackle the back or something well-covered. It’s best if you keep front fences low so they don’t screen the view of the house from the street. At the back of the house, smaller windows are better and make sure that you keep bushes, etc. that can provide access to windows small and well trimmed – or prickly. A rose-covered trellis looks lovely but also poses a thorny problem to would-be burglars.

Locks, etc.: Deadbolts are best and are less easy to pick or force. Some people seem to think the more locks, the better, but this is not necessarily the case – having five locks on your front door is a real pain when you’re trying to open up so you can get in while holding half a dozen shopping bags and a grumpy toddler (and are downright risky during a fire). And don’t be so silly as to have three or four locks on the front door but only one small Yale-style lock on the back door. Guess where the burglar will go…

Peepholes and chains: These are simple and cheap to install yourself and are a great security measure. You can see who’s at the door before you open it.

Cat flaps: If you have one of these in your door, either make sure that someone can’t reach the door handle from the inside via the cat flap, or that you have more than just the sort of push-button lock that allows the handle to be turned and unlocked from the inside.

Sensible precautions: don’t advertise the fact that your home is empty or that you have things worth stealing inside. Arrange for a neighbour to clear your letterbox when you’re on holiday (or arrange with the postal service to stop your mail, and get a “No Junk Mail” sign). If you have just bought new expensive appliances, don’t make this obvious, e.g. by leaving the old carton out on the street to be collected. Don’t leave keys in the locks. If you have a spare emergency key for if (when!) you accidentally lock yourself out, don’t put it in traditional places like under the doormat or in a pot plant – be more creative. If you’re going away for a holiday, don’t make the place look too neat and tidy – leave it looking lived in.

Other security measures: common ways of deterring burglars, especially for people living alone, include turning lights and/or radios on, and putting a pair of men’s shoes by the door so it looks as if a big, tough bloke lives there. However, having just the hall light on plus a radio simply screams “empty house!” and a very neat, very clean pair of carefully lined up men’s shoes is a bit of a giveaway. It’s better to have a light on in the living room or in a bedroom (with the curtains pulled), along with the radio or TV. And if you’re trying the shoe trick, make sure the shoes look worn and possibly a bit messy as though someone has just dropped them by the door.

Alarm systems: these are a deterrent, but don’t let them lull you into a false sense of security. An alarm by itself won’t do anything – it needs to be backed up by a security firm to really be effective.

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