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Posts Tagged ‘security’

Protecting them from physical attacks

Physical attacks can occur in the home or away from home and there are several things you can do to enhance the personal safety of family members:

1. Consider self defense courses for all family members;
2. Install a home security system that can keep unwelcome visitors out;
3. If it’s legal in your state, consider purchasing personal protection sprays for family members who go out at night or work in high risk areas like the city.

Guarding against theft and property damage

There are some simple steps you can take to protect your home and property from theft and damage.

1. A  – whether it’s a state of the art system or an inexpensive one – will help. If you’re on a budget you can consider inexpensive wireless systems or fake cameras.

2. External lighting – good motion detection lighting outdoor is a great deterrent. Potential intruders don’t want to be visible to either passers-by or the house occupants.

3. Keep any shrubs or trees near your front doors and windows trimmed – bushy sections might make your home feel more private but they also offer cover for

burglars.

4. If you’re going to be away for a few days or more, ask a neighbor to clear any mail from your letterbox, put your bin out on rubbish collection day and collect any delivered newspapers. Thieves notice unoccupied homes.

Financial Losses

You may not think of financial loss when you think of home security but you should. Here’s why:

Identify theft
Lack of or insufficient insurance

Invest in a shredder to destroy any documents you are discarding that contain personal, credit card or banking details. It’s very easy for identity thieves to rifle through rubbish bins under cover of darkness. While banks might cover your losses, it could take weeks for them to return funds to your account. Having your identity stolen can also wreak havoc with your credit rating and result in people chasing you for money for several years.

Make sure you have adequate insurance on your home and its contents. Consider it part of your home security strategy. Review your policy annually and make sure you have any particularly valuable items (like special collections or jewelry) scheduled on the policy or separately insured – otherwise you might find they’re not covered in the event of a burglary. When it comes to home insurance policies always check the exclusions and when you receive any letters from an insurer advising of changes to the policy read them carefully.

Living in fear is no fun at all but ignoring potential dangers is asking for trouble. Take a common sense to home security and personal safety – put preventative measures in place, exercise due caution and have good insurance!

Sometimes the best home security is implemented when you are the one making the assessment and any corrective action- a do it yourself home security plan.

Here are home security tips to think about that will definitely discourage or flat out stop a potential intruder from entering your house. It is not an all inclusive list but one that if followed will certainly go a long way toward making your home more secure.

1. Take a critical look at your house from the outside. Is your house well lit? Are there hiding places near doors and windows? If you can spot a potential weakness in your home’s “look” you can bet a professional burglar can exploit it. Remember that light is a burglars’ enemy-darkness a friend.

2. What could slow down a burglar from entering your home? Simple home security devices such as locks on doors(deadbolts are best) and windows, bars, grates-items that are visible from the exterior of the house will not only act as a deterrent but slow down an intruder should he decide to try to enter. The more time it takes to break into a home, the more discouraged a burglar will become. Time is the enemy of the burglar.

3. How noisy can you make it if someone gains entry? Noise is also the enemy of the burglar. There are many home security alarms activated by doors or windows opening or by motion. The sound of a barking dog, real or recorded, are very effective and will scare most burglars away.

Lights, noise and time-they are the three biggest enemies of an intruder. If you implement these home security tips to fortify your house you may well avoid a lot of potential break-ins. But there are some other things that will help as well.

–Move valuables away from outside view. Don’t risk tempting someone. Consider putting small valuables in Diversion Safes.

–Start or join a neighborhood watch. Strangers usually stick out in a neighborhood and should be reported immediately to police.

–Make your house look occupied when you are gone. Burglars are much less likely to consider a house they feel is occupied.

–Lock your doors and windows Even when you are gone for a short period of time. Summertime presents a huge temptation to leave doors or windows open. Don’t give in to the temptation. I have seen so many garage doors open only one or two feet to let the heat out-just enough to let a burglar in.

Many police departments as a public service will offer advice on how to make your home more secure. Call for availability in your area.

There are several simple things you can do to make your home less prone to intrusion by a burglar. Start with an assessment on how to make your home well lit, more secure, and in the event of an entry-how to make it very noisy. Light, time, and noise are the enemies of the professional burglar.

We all remember the days of the padlock.  When they were first available, they presented a great way to keep your belongings safe.  They were common with lockers at school, with just about every locker having one.  Padlocks were easy to open as well; all you needed was the combination.  Once you had the combination, all it took was three clockwise turns, two counterclockwise, and once last clockwise turn to hit the final number and open the padlock.

Although the combination padlock was popular for it’s time, people soon began to realize what happened when they forgot the combination. Combination padlocks were great for those who had a sharp memory although sooner or later forgetting the combination was bound to happen.  Once the combination had been lost, a pair of bolt cutters would be required in order to cut the lock.

Shortly after the combination padlock came the padlocks of today – lock and key.  Padlocks that required a key were much easier to use, requiring no combination.  All you had to do was keep the key with you at all times and you had no worries about the padlock.  If you ended up losing the key however, you would need to cut the lock.  To prevent losing the key, most people chose to put the padlock key on their key ring or wear it on a necklace around their neck.

The most popular type of padlock today is Master Lock.  The Master Lock brand has been around for generations, proving to be the hardest type of lock to break.  It’s been well proven and well documented that guns can’t harm Master Locks.  Even if you shoot the lock dead on with a shotgun or handgun, the lock won’t give.  Master Locks are made of solid high grade steel and won’t give way to a few shots from a gun.  Although they may sustain damage from the blast, they will still be there once the shooting has stopped – protecting what you have them locked to.

Although Master Locks are the most popular and most common type of padlock, there are other types available as well.  Multi-Lock, Medeco, and KW are all excellent examples of quality padlocks.  These locks feature unique and innovative designs that are near impossible for thieves to get rid of.  You can use them around the house to keep doors locked, safes locked, cabinets locked, and virtually anything else that contains your possessions.

The best thing about padlocks is the fact that they are very affordable.  You can find them in virtually any department or hardware store.  You can shop online as well, and compare what each company lock will offer you.  The next time you need to lock up something and you need a small lock – you can count on one of the many padlocks to give you the protection and safety you need.