Easy and Affordable Tips to Protect Your Home from Burglary
January 1st, 2022
Protecting Your Home Against Burglary
Home burglaries can have a devastating effect on your family. Not only can they cause a heavy financial burden, but these crime events can cause lasting feelings of being unsafe in your own home – the place you should feel the most secure. By securing your home and undergoing a few simple tasks, you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of this crime. Here are a few easy and affordable tips you can implement to protect your home from burglary. 
Lock All Windows and Doors
One of the easiest steps you can take to protect your home from burglary is locking your doors and windows whether you’re at home or away. With our idyllic weather in Australia, we often leave our windows and doors open to let in the breeze. However, this grants the perfect opportunity for burglars to strike. With many home burglaries being a crime of opportunity, securing your doors and windows removes an easy entry point to your home and can greatly reduce the likelihood of your home becoming victim to a break-in.
Installing security screens and/or quality locks to your doors and windows such as deadbolts, triple locks, flush bolts, and window locks is a simple way to increase your home’s security. A qualified locksmith or security screen installer should be used to undertake these tasks.
Take Advantage of Free Community Resources
While CCTV and back-to-base alarm systems are excellent home security tools to have in your arsenal, they’re not always options within every homeowner’s budget. Looking for free resources in your area is a great way to promote community unity as well as to improve your home’s security, all without costing you a cent.
Many local police stations offer home security assessment presentations free of charge to community groups. These presentations are backed by real-world knowledge and data from the police and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for reducing crime, and arm homeowners with tips and strategies to promote home security and safety.
Trained members of the police force can also offer free in-home security assessments, organised by a District Crime Prevention Coordinator. Simply contact your local police station for more information on events or police-lead services near you.
Joining or forming your own Neighbourhood Watch group is another free and community-driven resource that creates a community of people who are looking out for one another. If you’re known to your neighbours and they see someone they don’t recognise on your property, they would be more likely to raise the alarm and vice versa. This makes it more difficult for offenders to target your home if you have more eyes on your property. Many local communities have set up a FaceBook page where community members can report on any suspcious activities and inform neighbours of any criminal activity in the area so that the whole community can be on alert and look out for each other.
Visual Deterrents To Protect Your Home From Burglary
Another easy and affordable way to prevent burglaries is to maintain your garden and home, making your house look tidy and occupied. Keeping all bushes and hedges trimmed will allow for clear sightlines and reduces the potential areas that a burglar can hide. If you make it easier for an offender to be seen from the roadside, the less likely they’ll be to choose your home to victimise.
Equally, it’s essential to lock away any outdoor valuables that can be seen from the roadside that would make your home seem like an easy target for a burglar. Items such as bikes, tools, or lawnmowers should be securely locked away in a shed to reduce the likelihood of an opportunistic burglary.
Giving the appearance that someone is home day and night heightens the risk of an offender being caught which makes your home a more undesirable target. A few little steps you can take to achieve this include not letting your mail build-up, keeping your curtains open during the day, and turning on outdoor lighting at night.
Invest In Security Screens
Homes with window and door screens that look vulnerable to attack due to wear and tear or homes with no screens at all are a goldmine for offenders. Thieves are trying to make a silent entry and escape and would choose the quieter option of targeting a screen door over smashing a piece of glass that would make a loud noise and alert your neighbours.
Installing premium-quality security screens that have been manufactured and installed to Australian Standards (AS5039 & AS5040) such as our SecureView, SaltWaterSeries, or Xceed Perforated Aluminium security screens are an excellent option for adding another crucial layer of security to your home.
All three of our security door and window products have undergone stringent testing to comply with and exceed Australian Standards. It’s important to note, a triple lock is an integral element of a true security door and must be fitted to a security door in order to comply with Australian Standards.
While true security screens are an investment, the initial setup costs now could save you thousands of dollars and time further down the track by preventing a break-in. Many security screen installers now also offer interest-free payment options so you can have the security screens you need today while paying in manageable installments.
Summary
Taking the time today to prioritise your home security can be a huge benefit to you in the future. The key message to take away is that home burglary offenders are opportunistic and will target homes that look vulnerable to attack. The more difficult you make it for a burglar to quietly enter and exit your home, the greater you can reduce your chances of falling victim to a break-in. Implementing these tips for your home is an easy way to protect your family and home’s security.