Figures recently released show that on average, a burglary takes place in new Zealand every eight to nine minutes. And we are not alone as a country…

Each year in the USA alone there are about 2 million reported burglaries – that works out to roughly one break in every 15 to 20 seconds! And in the UK a burglary takes place every 40 seconds, amounting to more than a million householders falling victim to the crime. The number of break and enters taking place seems quite unbelievable when you take a look at these sort of statistics, and that’s just for the three countries listed above!

The best way to stop a burglary from happening is to put preventative measures in place that not only deter thieves, but also to ensure if they do gain access they can be identified, prosecuted and punished for their crimes.

This article gives you tips on how you can secure your home so to minimise the risk of you becoming the next victim both now and in the future.

How to Secure Your Home

There are number of ways that you can take on a few DIY tasks to make your house or apartment more secure. In case of an apartment off the ground floor, there should be less ground to cover as there will only be one entrance. Windows that can be reached by a ladder or other means should also be secured to avoid unwanted visitors.

Before we go into the details, the first thing to remember is that you should lock up your house, especially when you are out, but even when you are at home. A lot of thieves are opportunistic and simply take the chance when they see an open door or window. Once you’ve got this base covered, here’s a few other measures you can take.

Door protection including security locks

One of the first things you will need to do is secure your door, use proper security locks and if need be replace the door so that it meets modern security standards.

A door can look strong, but without the right frame it can easily be kicked or taken off for an intruder to gain entrance. In an apartment building you will only have those sharing the same floor as you that are able to have full view of your front door, which can actually pose a security risk. The chances are a burglar will choose a time when the usual occupants are not around. They may watch your apartment or house and look for the quietest time to take their pick of your belongings.

Window security

Bigger and even smaller windows can allow a burglar to gain entrance to your home whether you are in it or not. More now than ever people are waking up to find they have fallen victim to burglary while they slept the previous nights. If you leave your windows open of a night to keep the house cool, fit security locks so that they can only be opened wide enough to let air in while making sure intruders can’t gain access.

Changing your windows, especially on the lower floors might be a necessity if your current ones are out-dated. They could include window lock and an option to open the windows fully for cleaning but only part way unless a small lever on the inside of the window is pressed.

Multi-level house security

In a house there is more than one floor to cover, do not automatically assume that your home is safe if you have added security measures to the lower floors. A burglar will be opportunistic and utilise any tools that are around such as garden tools left in an unlocked or poorly secured shed, ladders that have been left out from DIY work outdoors and even garden trellis. If you have a porch and there are windows above it, they should be secured with decent security locks as you would do downstairs.

Monitored Home Security Systems vs Self Monitored Security Systems

It’s important that someone monitors your security system – whether it’s a paid monitoring service or you and your family doing the monitoring by using a smart video security system that can be remotely managed and viewed from smart phones.

Either way, the concept is the same – if an alarm is triggered in your home, someone needs to be alerted. Through WiFi and video based security technology you and/or the company can look at the room/area that has been triggered to ascertain whether it is a false alarm or whether there is a security breach and the police need to be called. You are just as able to carry out this action as a monitoring company is, obviously depending on what you are doing at the time any incident happens.

If you are using a passive infra-red (PIR) based security system that doesn’t have cameras, then it’s best to have a monitored security service who can send someone to your property to check the situation. This is because you never know when an alarm may be triggered, and if you’re away on vacation then it’s going to be impossible to check what’s happening. It’s also potentially dangerous to have neighbours or friends call by your home to see what has caused the alarm.

Both professionally monitored and self-monitored systems are a great deterrent to burglars in the first place. A recent survey showed that almost 95% of burglars would be put of trying to gain entry to a home that has a monitored home security system in place.

Having the home security system monitored professionally can cost a lot as there is usually a reasonable fee per month – this adds up over the months and years! You can avoid these fees if you are able to use a system that comes with a security app that you can install on your phone. Adding the app onto the phones of other family members will also increase your level of security.

If you decide to use a monitoring company, then you have the benefit of them being able to head around to your property at the first sign of any trouble.

A lot of households are now also using a combination of older style monitored PIR security systems and smart phone linked video security systems that can be self-monitored. It means that should an infra-red sensor set off an alarm, you can use the camera system to see what’s going on.

Watch Your Home from Your Mobile Phone

No matter how close you are to a person, if you ask them to watch your home while you and your family are away, the chances are they will not be able to keep their eye on things 24/7.

The great benefit of new technology video security systems is that they are actually designed to only pick up on unusual activity – this not only does away with the need for a person to monitor a system continuously, but also means that with just a smart phone, you can quite easily keep an eye on what is happening at home no matter where you are in the world.

A special smartphone app that can also be installed on tablets, can enable you to check up on things at home. You will be automatically notified if your alarm sensors are triggered so that you can check your home via video to see why the alarm has gone off.

With intelligent home security system you can use various features to minimise false alarms and also reduce the chance of alarms being activated by pets and other non-important movements. You can even use them to check that your children are safely home from school when they say they are going to be!

Another benefit to a smartphone home security system is that if you forget to set your alarm while rushing out you can do so remotely from your device, wherever you may be.

This works the other way too allowing you to turn the alarm off or reset it should it be accidentally triggered by a family member.

In today’s modern world there can’t always be someone at home to ensure it is safe, but you can have a high level of security throughout the day and night and peace of mind that your home will be as you left it on your return.