Home Security

Never, ever leave a spare key outside. However good your hiding place there is always a chance that someone will find it. It is safer to leave it with a neighbor or relative. If this is not possible any locksmith will open the door for a fee and it will be cheaper than getting burgled.

Doors with a large glass panel are not a very good idea as even though the glass is frosted the person outside can see who is coming to answer the door. An attacker / burglar may push the door open as soon as the lock is opened if they know that the person at the other side is small and female. This would be a relatively unusual method of attack and is probably not worth buying a new door for this reason. However it should be considered if your door does need replacing or if there is a particular reason why you might feel that you are likely to be attacked.

Doors and frames made out of uPVC and aluminum are stronger than the average wooden door. A door should be good fitting to remain secure, a loose door may allow some locks to be opened by sliding a flexible piece of plastic between the frame and the lock.

Any device that allows you to see who is at the door, without actually having to open it gives you some amount of protection. It will give you the choice of only opening the door to people you know or people who appear harmless. However, it is impossible to judge whether or not someone is criminal by their appearance so these systems must be used with caution. At the top end of the range, a small camera can be placed near the door that will allow you to see the caller without actually having to go near the door or give any indication that you are in the house. A much simpler and cheaper method is a lens that actually goes into the door and allows you to see a wide but distorted view at the other side. In some places it may be possible to see anyone who is at the door from a window, and if you happen to live somewhere where this is possible you should use it. However, avoid moving drapes or blinds as this draws attention to the fact that you are in the house.

It is useful to be able to open the door a small way without it being able to be opened fully. This allows you to talk to a caller, see identification etc. without much chance of them being able to harm you. The two options are a chain or a hinged bar. The modern chain systems are usually too thin and small to be of any use. They would easily be broken or forced off the door / frame. Some older houses have chains that are about three-quarters of an inch across, these are effective. Do not buy the small modern chains, as they are useless. The alternative is the hinged bar, these are much stronger than the most modern chains. Whether using a chain or a bar make sure that it can not be opened from the outside. When using these devices do not walk away from the partially open door and rely on the device to keep a caller outside. They may be able to break the device with tools. If they try this whilst you are at the door you can probably shut the door, if not you should have the vital few seconds you need to barricade yourself inside a room and call the police.

There are two ways of mounting a lock to a door and frame, one type fits onto the inside of the door and frame, the other is set into the door and frame. The first is easier to fit but is inherently weaker than the other. However big and chunky the lock is all that is holding the door closed is the screws which are going into the door and frame, it is usually very easy to force these type of locks by simply kicking the door hard enough to push the screws from the woodwork. For any lock, the more of the frame and door it attached to the stronger it will be. The lock probably won't break whatever is done to it but the frame will. If only a small amount of frame needs to break to dislodge the lock then it will be easier to kick the door in. It is wise to have more than one lock, especially something that can be locked from inside whilst you are in the house, such as a bar.

Window locks serve two different purposes on different types of windows. On windows that have a number of small panes on one larger opening section they are very effective and will stop the window from being opened. If there is no lock on these types of window a burglar simply smashes the small pane, making little noise, puts his hand through and opens the window. The other type of windows are those which have one large pane in the opening section. A lock on these means that the burglar has to smash out all the glass before climbing through. The opening will be slightly smaller than if he could open it and will have glass embedded around the edge making it likely that he will cut himself, therefore leaving behind forensic evidence. The locks should have a proper 'Yale' type key, some just have a hexagonal shaped screw which can easily be opened with the right tool. It is essential that windows and locks be tightly fitting otherwise they will not work effectively. It is also important that the key is not kept where it can be seen or reached from the window. Make sure however that you and the rest of your household can get to the key easily if you need to get out in an emergency. Keep one key in each room, if there is a fire you could be trapped in any room.

Unless you are likely to be a target for some very determined people avoid making your house totally impenetrable. If there is a fire or if you become unconscious the emergency services need to get in to help you. In general if a door takes more than a couple of kicks to force it open a criminal will not bother so there is no need to make your door that strong that it will withstand more than a few kicks.

Have more than one phone in the house. One should be in your bedroom, enabling you to call the police if there is an intruder during the night. If you have a mobile phone you should keep this with you whilst in the house, if there is an intruder you can barricade yourself in whatever room you happen to be in and call the police. If you do not have time to give the police your address make sure you leave the phone off the hook as the police can then trace the call. It may be wise to hide the phone so that the intruder can't see it. Any abandoned 911 call will be traced and the police will call to the address to check what is happening. It now only takes a matter of seconds to trace most calls. Whilst it is possible to trace mobile calls to a certain area it takes much longer and the police can only get the exact address from the phone company. Everyone in the house should be taught to dial 911, even small children can be taught to do this by putting colored stickers on the 9 and 1 buttons. Whilst there is a possibility that they may call 911 when they shouldn't the emergency services are usually very understanding and don't mind the occasional false alarm as long as it isn't malicious.

If you arrive home and notice any signs of forced entry such as damage to the frame or door or a broken window do not enter the house. Stay outside and call the police, be sure to tell them that you have not entered the house, as they will respond faster if there is a possibility that the intruder may still be inside. There is a natural temptation to go into the house to see what has been taken but you must fight this temptation, the intruder could still be inside and he is likely to attack you if you go inside. He will probably only want to knock you out to give him more time to escape but he may get quite vicious and you could be badly injured. There is also the risk that he could rape or kill you.

If there are no signs of entry from the front it is wise to check for signs of entry from the back once you get into the house. You just need to look in each downstairs room (or rooms that have a window onto a fire escape in an apartment block) to check that a window has not been smashed or the lock damaged. If you do see any signs that someone has broken in, such as disturbed furniture or the TV missing, get out immediately and quietly do not look further to see what else is missing or where he broke in.

If you work nights or evenings try to give no clues of this to passers by. Sleep in the rear of the house if possible. Make sure the drapes or blinds at the front are open during the day and closed at night. This may mean closing them earlier than normal in the evening or opening them earlier in the morning than you would normally, what matters is that they are not closed when most people are wide awake in the daytime and not open when most people are fast asleep at night. If you intend get out of bed to answer calls at the door during the daytime it is wise to wear a T-shirt and leggings rather than something that is obviously nightwear. Your ruffled hair can be quickly hidden with a headscarf.

Burglar alarms are not very effective in preventing burglars as so many go off accidentally that few people pay any notice. Only those that have a direct line to a security company are worthwhile. It is also important to remember that they only work when turned on! That box on the outside that says you have an alarm will not deter anyone. If you can afford an alarm, get one that is easy to operate and always use it. Get one that also has a panic button that you can press at any time incase of an intruder.

Many people are now getting security lights that light up when someone approaches the house. These are often high powered and use a lot of electricity. They often come on when they shouldn't due to roaming pets, bushes moving in the wind or bits of paper being blown around. Apart from the nuisance level this creates it will also mean that you will either be unduly stressed every time they light, believing that there is a threat or you will learn to ignore them and therefore their existence becomes pointless.

From time to time various unsolicited people will call at your house. They may be salespeople who are trying to sell you something, someone from the phone, electric or water company investigating problems with service in the area or various other people claiming they have some good reason to be in your house. Firstly it is extremely rare that a salesperson needs to come into your house to sell something, unless it is something that they need to demonstrate inside the house such as a vacuum cleaner you should not let them in. If they insist on coming in it's because it makes it much harder to get rid of them and they will keep talking about their wonderful product until you agree to buy it. People calling from the phone, electric or water company should have official ID, unfortunately it is far too easy to print up official looking ID these days. Make sure that they let you have a good look at it. Phone the company to check if they are genuine, use the number in the phone book not one they give you, it could be a fake. Check with the company that the name on the ID card is one of their people and make sure the photo on the ID matches the person at the door. If the person is reluctant to let you take their ID inside whilst you phone the company, they are most likely a fake. The last thing they will want is for you to be able to hand their photo to the police. Even if you are absolutely certain that the person is genuine, when you let any stranger into your home watch what they are doing. If it is impossible for you to watch them all the time (if there's two of them for instance) then listen to what they are doing. They may attempt to go to places in the house that they shouldn't go or open draws they have no business opening. Do not tell them too much about yourself, genuine callers may sometimes try to gather information to see if you have anything worth stealing or if you are living alone in order to do a burglary or make an attack in the future. You may feel easier watching them if you are talking to them, ask them about what the problem is, what they are doing etc. or make small talk about current affairs, or the latest film or what type of music they like. Keep the topic away from more personal things such as what you do for a living or if your partner is away on business or where you went for your last holiday if it was an expensive one.

Make sure that everyone in the house knows how to keep secure. Even very young children should be taught about not opening the door to strangers, how to dial 911, what to do in a fire etc.

ADT are one of the biggest and very reputable alarm companies, they also run a charitable project where victims of domestic violence are provided with a free alarm system so they can get immediate help if their violent ex-partner shows up. So I think they desrve a plug! This link will take you to their residential alarm web page. ADT alarm systems