Tips For Securing Your Home When The Local Crime Rate Is Rising
If the crime rate is rising in your neighborhood, then it is important that you know how to properly secure your home. When your house is properly secured, criminals will not be able to break in and steal your stuff or harm the members of your family. Since securing your home requires that you do many different things, here are some tips to get you started on the process:
Tip: Replace Doors with Glass Panels
Whether it is your entry or garage door, those that have windows are security risks. If a criminal wants access into your home, they can simply break the glass and then either unlock your door or climb through the frame. For this reason, you should replace all exterior doors on your home that have glass panels with doors that do not. When you replace the doors, you should select new doors that have steel cores inside of them. Steel-core doors are nearly impenetrable by thieves and criminals and prevent them from busting out your door using an ax or other brute force tactic.
Tip: Install Deadbolt Locks on All Exterior Doors
To prevent someone from kicking in your home's door when you are not home, you should install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors. The deadbolts should have long bolts on them and be connected to reinforced strike plates. On the back of each door, the hinges should be strong and inaccessible from outside of your home. If a thief can get to the hinges on a locked door, then all they need to do is remove the hinge bolts and the door will come right out of the door jamb.
Tip: Use a Safe to Store Your Family's Valuable Items
Finally, one of the best ways to protect your family's smaller valuables at home is to place them in a safe. The safe should be bolted to your home's foundation and the key or combination should never be stored in your home. Using a small "fire safe" that is readily available at your local home store should be avoided. Many times these safes do not actually survive a home fire, and they are easy for a thief to simply put under their arm and walk out of your house. Instead, go with something that is robust and impenetrable for criminals - especially if you store firearms in your home. A large and secure safe may be found by a thief, but they will not be able to move it nor open it.
Contact a company like Locksmith Services for more tips.