According to a report from the Western Australia Police Force, burglary, theft, arson, and other similar crimes (referred to as crimes against property) remain the most common form of crime recorded throughout the state, with about 160,000 such crimes recorded over 2016 to 2017. For some, that statistic might not seem like too large of a number, but when we put that into perspective, we are looking at an average of nearly two instances of theft, burglary, or carjacking every hour. Of course, nobody would want to be the next victim of property theft and/or damage, so in this article, we will run you through all of the basics of home security with the goal of improving your chances of keeping your property in your possession.
Filling in the gaps
One of the first things that should be done if you are looking to protect your home from burglars is to find out how protected your home already is. Although you might think that your home seems pretty protected as it is, burglars and thieves are becoming more clever and creative in their break-ins, so it is absolutely important to run through your home’s current security levels so you can find the areas you will need to improve upon. After all, the home security chain is only as good as its weakest link.
A good way to do this is by grabbing one of the many home security checklists available online; however, we do have a more novel approach. If you have some time on the weekend, go through the routine you normally would before you leave the house, then try to break into your home without using your keys. Thinking like a burglar, in this case, would help you see through the eyes of your home’s potential perpetrator and help you find gaps in your home’s security that you might have otherwise missed.
Make it a habit
Although locking down all of the possible openings to your home will help keep burglars out, none of that will be effective when you leave the very keys to the house under a potted plant. As it turns out, one of the best ways to ensure the security of one’s home is through the homeowner himself. Although routinely locking your doors and windows might seem like common sense nowadays, it is a lot better to develop a habit of always double-checking your locks before you leave the house. Whether you want to believe it or not, cases of burglary in which the thief simply enters through an unlocked opening into the house are not uncommon – and in fact, these sorts of scenarios are actually preferred by burglars as they leave no traces of their thievery to your neighbours.
“Keep Out”
Although some of the more aggressive burglars out there will have no qualms about forcibly breaking into your home, adequately locked and sealed entryways into your home can actually be enough to deter quite a few burglars who simply happen upon an unsecured home as in the situation we described earlier. With that in mind, then, there are a few things we can do to more effectively discourage prospective thieves from targeting your home:
- Lights and sounds: As some burglars prefer to go for the heist under the cover of darkness, keeping a light and a TV on will communicate to the thief that someone is home, whether or not somebody is actually home in the first place.
- Dogs or other pets: Because of their stronger instincts and senses, pets at home are great deterrents for would-be thieves. Dogs, in particular, are great for protecting your home regardless of their size – while larger dogs can be trained to guard the home more deliberately, smaller dogs are generally yappier and are very effective alarms.
- Well-kept yards: Burglars and thieves tend to target homes that they think are unoccupied, so like keeping lights on at night, keeping your home’s exterior in shape can serve as an indicator of an actively occupied home. If you have a lawn and/or shrubbery, try to keep them from growing too long. If you tend to get letters or parcels in the mail, try to keep them from piling up in your mailbox or left out on your porch. This last bit is particularly important as thieves might simply go for the package on your porch – a case of theft that is becoming more and more common, what with the ease and convenience of online shopping these days.
Invest in a good security system
If you’ve followed along with all of the tips we’ve gives you here, your home will be secured quite nicely against all but the most persistent thieves out there who really want your stuff out of everyone else in the neighbourhood. However, if you really want to take your Perth home security systems to the next level, you might want to consider investing in a full security system for your home. A good security system will act as both a deterrent against would-be burglars and a monitoring and video capture system should the burglar be brave enough to be caught by (or otherwise be unaware of) a security camera.
Residential security systems come in various forms and price points, and it might be a little daunting for you to look through catalogues. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, however, there are all-in-one package systems available on the market. These come with a set of CCTV cameras for surveillance and monitoring, as well as a burglar alarm system that will sound off if your house has been broken into. Depending on how much you are willing to spend on these systems, putting more cash on the table will give you more cameras for greater coverage of your house, as well as additional features like secure broadcasting that lets you view security camera footage on your phone, as well as automatic phone calls to law enforcement should the burglar alarm be tripped.
Whatever the option, however, we at Casa Security are here to make the entire process easier for you. Casa Security is a security system provider offering a wide range of camera and alarm systems for residential, commercial, and industrial applications throughout Perth and its neighbouring cities and suburbs. Beyond our products and installation, we believe that great customer service lies in excellent after-sales service; that is why we provide 24/7 support and maintenance services for all of our customers so they can rest easy knowing that their systems are doing their best to keep their homes safe.
For a free quotation on your security system needs, call us at 08-9460-5716 today!