Home Security – Making Your Home Look Stronger
One of the most important parts of home security is making your defensive measures obvious to the casual, criminally inclined observer. This serves two purposes-one, it will deter many criminals and send them looking for easier prey, two, it can camouflage your other, more subtle defensive measures.
Go Overboard?
There are several methods for making your home look stronger. Fences sealing off your property, particularly if you have guard dogs patrolling behind them, and perhaps razor wire on the top to dissuade climbers, can make your home look like something out of a James Bond movie. This will prevent casual criminals from even bothering to set foot on your property. If they can't get close to your home, there's no point in even trying, is there?
More Reasonable
Without spending a lot of money, you can make your own security system. Simple measures like keeping the area around your door clear of bushes or places where a thief can hide may encourage them to go elsewhere. Making your windows inaccessible has much the same effect. Thick, unpleasant looking, prickly shrubbery around your windows, but a clear patch around your door makes it clear that you are aware of potential weak points in your home, and may have taken steps to counter them. By the same token, big, obvious locks on the doors and windows, send a message that you're prepared for someone to try and get in.
Signs
Home security decals from a reputable security company scattered liberally across your property-in the drive, in the windows, etc-can also alert thieves to your possession of alarm systems. This will make most thieves, unless particularly bold, think twice.
You can purchase fake security cameras that have a blinking red light and appear to be working. All you have to do is replace the batteries every 3 or 4 years. Combine these with signs on the property (mailbox) stating that area is under video surveillance. These will deter most burglars.
All of these are obvious signs of a home-owner prepared for a home-invasion. However, while some-even most-thieves will be discouraged, others will see your obvious defenses as merely an obstacle, or even, possibly, a challenge. Thus, your obvious defenses could actually encourage thieves to make a play for your valuables. After all, when it comes to home defenses, what you see is what you get, right?
Wrong.
A Rock-Solid System
What is the best home security system? When you mix obvious security measures and camouflage in the more subtle ones. A reinforced, heavily locked door should also be alarmed up six ways from Sunday. Flood lights should be connected to motion sensors and an alarm system, so that no matter where a thief goes, they'll either be hit with light or sound and have no place to hide. Overlap your fake security system with your real one. Alarms connected to reinforced doors and windows, motion sensors on fences which set off flood lights and alert your guard dogs.
Keep criminals guessing. Bear in mind, they'll most likely case your home first, so keep them from being able to see where and what everything is. Change things up...have the floodlights come on when the motion detectors detect something one night, then have alarms the next night, and both the third night. Set up wildlife cameras at obvious points, so that criminals will know that their picture will most likely be taken, should they get too close to your home.
The best way to prepare your home to withstand the attentions of criminals is to make it appear imposing but also BE imposing. Obvious security measures should hide more subtle ones. There are numerous home security system accessories you can buy that will make your home look impenetrable. Your home should make a professional criminal break out in a paranoid sweat at the thought of attempting to burgle it.
Gloss