How to Prevent a Burglary and Protect Your Home | By Jordan Frankel

Returning home after a long day only to find your house ransacked by a burglar, valuables like your television and computer stolen, is an experience no one wants. Unfortunately, millions of people across the United States face this reality every year. Many of these crimes happen simply because residents don’t know how to prevent a burglary.

It often isn’t until after a burglary—when people face the trauma of knowing someone invaded their space and rifled through their belongings—that they take action. Recovering a sense of security after a break-in can take months, sometimes even years.

Whether you’re looking to strengthen your home security or trying to prevent a burglary after a recent break-in, the following tips will help protect you, your family, and your home.

Understanding Burglary 

Burglary is a property crime that occurs when no one is present, making it the most common threat to residential properties. The majority of home burglaries occur during the daytime hours when residents are at work. The following statistics go to show just how significant this threat is:

• Approximately 2.2 million burglaries occur across the U.S. per year.
• 70% of these crimes are home burglaries.
• 1 in every 5 homes experiences a burglary.
• The majority of burglars enter the premises through a “locked” door or window.
• Burglaries increase over the summer when residents are on vacation.

Burglars usually select their targets after observing potential properties, seeking homes with easy access and low visibility. Understanding these habits can help you build a solid home security plan to discourage potential intruders. The following home security tips will help prevent burglary and keep your home safe and secure.

Home Security Tips to Prevent Burglary

1. Deter Burglars with Lights and Timers

To effectively prevent burglary, incorporating strategic lighting and timers can create the illusion of an occupied home and deter potential intruders.

• Install bright LED security lights with motion sensors to the exterior perimeter of your residence.
• Ensure your entryways, pathways, and driveways are well illuminated.
• Use indoor timers to turn lights on and off to make it appear you are home. Such timers can also be used to turn on a radio or TV at selected intervals. 

2. Set Up a Home Alarm and Surveillance System

Installing a robust home alarm and surveillance system can help prevent burglary by acting as both a deterrent and an early warning.

• Install a home alarm system with an obscenely loud siren, motion detectors, glass breakage sensors, and bright strobe lights.
• Install a wireless home surveillance system and prominently display your outdoor surveillance cameras. A dummy camera can also be an effective deterrent.
• Display the alarm company signage where it can be easily seen by a would-be intruder.
• ALWAYS keep your home alarm system set—even when you’re home! 
• Keep in mind that while a home alarm won’t prevent an intruder from entering your residence, an alarm system such as the one suggested above can deter, startle, and even cause a burglar to abandon his plan and flee the scene. 

3. Secure Your Windows and Glass Doors

To prevent burglary, securing windows and glass doors is crucial, as they are often targeted by intruders seeking easy access points.

• Install glass security film such as BurglarGARD to accessible ground-floor windows, glass door panes, and sliding glass/patio doors.
• Insert solid wood or metal rods to the tracks of windows and glass doors that slide sideways.
• Install anti-lift devices to interior tracks/frames of windows that slide up and down.

4. Reinforce Your Entry Doors

Reinforcing your entry doors is another effective way to prevent burglary and enhance your home’s overall security.

• Replace hollow entry doors with solid wood or metal doors.
• Use 3″ steel screws to reinforce hinges of all entry doors.
• Install heavy-duty dead bolts to all entry doors.
• Install a heavy-duty security door brace (one that can withstand up to 1800 pounds of pressure) to the bottom of all entry doors that swing inward.
• Install peepholes with wide-angle lenses.

5. Burglar-Proof Your Landscaping

Burglar-proofing your landscaping is a simple yet important step to prevent burglary by eliminating potential hiding spots and reducing access points for intruders.

• Cut back or remove bushes and other landscaping around entry doors and windows that provide potential hiding places for would-be intruders. 
• Assess the trees around your home and remove or relocate those that a burglar could use to access second-floor balconies or windows if climbed.

Take Action Today to Prevent a Burglary

As you can see, protecting your residence and personal possessions from a burglar requires a lot more than locking your doors and windows. The more security measures you put in place, the more difficult you’ll make it for a criminal to pull off a burglary. If the initial deterrents such as outdoor security lighting, home alarm signage, and home surveillance systems don’t work, the home security devices such as glass protection film, heavy-duty deadbolts, and security door braces will make your home extremely difficult to break into. And for most burglars, that in itself will be enough reason to abandon their plan and deem your home not worth the effort or the risk.