Home security it’s serious

Security is something that most of us don’t tend to think much about in our busy lives.  We are on the go constantly trying to keep appointments always rushing everywhere to save time. We spend a large amount of our day away from home leaving early in the morning and returning hours later.  Our homes are therefore left empty and vulnerable for long periods at a time.

Whilst we are at work, on holiday or doing some shopping there is unfortunately a small sector of society who are always on the lookout for the ideal property to break-into.  With the current economic climate as it is it is a sad fact that crime will start to rise.  So what are the options how do I deter the burglar and feel safe and secure in my own home without feeling like a prisoner? 

 The simple answer is to make your home as unattractive to a burglar as possible using some quite basic techniques. These can include a light being switched on and off by a timer during the darker months of the year.  Installing external lighting activated via a photo cell especially at the rear of the property.   Leaving a radio switched on in the kitchen or hall.  Closing the blinds at the rear of the property to prevent burglars from seeing in, if they can’t see what is within the room they are unlikely to risk a break in.  Try not to use an answering machine as this is a dead give-away that the property is empty if an interested burglar obtains your phone number and calls you. Keep back gates locked and use anti vandal non-drying paint on the tops of fence panels, guttering and around the edges of accessible flat roof areas.  Never leave ladders unsecured as these will aid a burglar to gain entry to first floor windows.  Don’t hide the spare key in an obvious place e.g. under a plant pot by the front door.  If possible try and vary your routine, its surprising just how many people are broken into within the ten minute slot it took for them to nip out and buy a pint of milk.  Yes it’s unnerving but more often than not the burglar is probably watching your property and waiting for the ideal opportunity to break in.

 Obviously if you feel you are in a high risk area then in the first instance you need a good quality alarm.   The next step to take is to look at using some physical security like window grilles, shutters and security gates.  This combination of an alarm and grilles is the best defence to avoid a break-in.  Not only is a burglar put off by a noisy alarm but the thought of also having to physically break through security grilles is more than sufficient to move them on to an easier target.  Initially the thought of using grilles can be a turn of for most people.  Modern made to measure retractable grilles installed within the recess of the window can easily blend in with you décor and hide behind the curtains. Most security grilles are designed, when opened, to fold back to a fraction of the width of its overall size.  Powder coated in a whole range of high quality finishes they can actually enhance the appearance of your home rather than retract from it.

Roller shutters are common place on commercial properties, shops and offices alike.  Using them on domestic dwellings is something that we in the UK are unfamiliar with.  On the continent shutters are used widely on houses for security, privacy and insulation. Adding a shutter over your patio doors for instance certainly offers a high level of visual security and physical security.  Using a built on shutter basically means the shutter is installed at the property after it has been constructed.   You can also have the built-in shutter system which incorporates the shutter into the fabric of the building meaning when it is not in use the guide rails and box are hidden from view.  This is only available on new build properties but the system is starting to be utilised more often by up to date architects.

Home security is something we don’t want to think about but nobody wants to have a burglary either, having an intruder in your home is most people’s nightmare but more and more often burglaries are taking palace late at night while you are in bed.   Securing your home needn’t been a drastic measure and with a few simple changes to your home this can easily be achieved.  But like it or not security is something worth thinking about!