North Carolina Home Security Systems – Keeping Your Home Safe
When your home is burglarized you suffer emotional and psychological damage, as much as you suffer financial hardship. There are some simple steps you can take on your own to prevent a burglary. More sophisticated measures such as installing alarms, deadbolt locks, and other devises may need the help of a professional to be installed properly. Fortunately, there are a number of well qualified North Carolina home security professionals you can call upon to help you secure your home.
Burglars do not pick their victims in a random fashion. They will not select a home to burglarize that presents too many risks or will be too difficult to break into. They are looking for homes that are unoccupied, provide good cover to avoid being seen, and have doors or windows that are weakly secured. You want the burglar to take a look at your home and decide it is too much trouble and too big of a risk to rob so they will move onto an easier victim.
Back doors and garage doors are the ports of entry into your home used most by burglars because they provide the best cover. You might think your unlocked car is safe if it is parked in your garage but it is not. You should lock the doors and not leave valuables in sight. The door between your garage and the inside of your house should be as secure as any outside door. Use a solid core or metal door at all entrance points, secured with a heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw bolt.
A locked door can easily be kicked in if it doesn’t have a four-screw high security strike plate installed with 3-inch wood screws with the bolt driving deep into the door jam. A burglar will probably just walk away when they see a door secured in this way. Sliding glass patio doors can be very easy to break into unless there is a secondary blocking device installed. Through-the-door pins or upper track screws should also be considered for sliding glass patio doors. It is important to keep the latch mechanism and rollers in good condition and properly adjusted. Always put alarm service, neighborhood watch, and beware of dog decals on doors and windows.
Open windows are an invitation to burglars, particularly ground door or basement windows. They should never be left opened or unlocked. All windows should have secondary blocking devices installed. Use a device that will allow a window to only be opened a maximum of six inches. Burglars will try to open a door by reaching through an open window.Check to make sure this can not be done.
Getting to know and working with your neighbors is a great way to fight crime. Arrange with your neighbors to have mail picked up, lawns mowed, and cars periodically parked in driveways when people are gone for extended periods. Keep an eye on each others properties and alert the police if you see anything suspicious. Make your home appear to be occupied even when it isn’t. Never hide your house key outside. Instead give a copy to a trusted neighbor.
It is important to have the exterior of your home well lighted particularly entryways and pathways. Criminals need darkness to conceal their activities. Light will deter them. Consider installing infra-red motion sensor lights in the rear. You can create the illusion that you are home when you are away by using timers to turn the lights and TV sets on and off in an apparently normal routine.
The basic strategy of defending your home against burglars is making it an unattractive target. Many of the things discussed here can easily be done by yourself. The more complicated things, like properly installing alarms, doors, locks, and other devices should be done by professionals. There are many well-qualified and experienced North Carolina Home security alarm firms who can help you make your home secure for you and your family. Find a Charlotte home security systems expert today.
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