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Bye-Bye Burglar 8 tips to secure your home 2. Newspapers piled on the driveway or flyers left for long periods of time on your door are a dead giveaway that you’re out of town. Have a neighbor collect them while you’re gone.
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t is important to protect your home and your family from intruders, especially during the holidays when your family may leave the home unattended while on vacation. According to convicted burglars, a security consultant and a criminology professor, there are a few things you can do right now to minimize your risk:
6. An alarm system is great, but a loud television may be better. It clearly tells burglars you’re home. If you’re going to be out late, leave your television on. If you’re heading out of town, set your television on a timer. The key is to avoid a quiet, dark house—that’s a burglar’s dream.
3. Burglars almost always check dresser drawers, the night stand and the medicine cabinet. They almost never bother going through kids rooms.
7. Don’t announce your vacation on Twitter or your Facebook page. Burglars can easily look up your address.
4. A burglar may not be able to crack your safe, but it does you no good if they can take it with them. If you’re going to utilize a safe, consider bolting it down or installing it in the wall. 5. A burglar won’t mind breaking a window to get in—most know that neighbors will pay attention when they hear a loud sound, but go back to doing whatever they’re doing when they don’t hear it again. Tell your neighbors you’d rather them call the police for a false alarm than be at the mercy of an intruder.
1. Be aware of people you allow into your home. Service workers, a friend of a friend, or someone else who needs to “use the bathroom” may unlatch a window to make their return easier. Confirm all windows and doors are locked before you go to bed.
8. Keep your keys and wasp spray on your night stand. If you hear a strange noise, activate your car alarm with your electronic car key. It will attract attention. Unlike pepper spray, wasp spray shoots up to 30 feet and temporarily blinds an attacker if you get them in the eyes— they’ll need to get to a hospital for the antidote to see again. Not to mention it’s inexpensive, easy to find and it won’t attract as much attention as pepper spray. —Cayla McDonald
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