How to Help Prevent Burglaries to Homes and Apartments:

by **Admin** Thu Aug 09, 2012 8:22 pm

1. Always install new locks in a home or apartment when moving in, even if it is a newly built home. Never use locks someone else has had a key to. This means back, side and front doors.

2. Never leave an extra key to the house in the mailbox, under doormates, over door frames or anywhere else - they are easily found.

3. Don't give your key to anyone except the people living inside the home or apartment.

4. Install a small "peephole" in the front and back door and use it to look before you open a door for someone, whether it is nighttime or daytime.

5. When answering the door, ask to see proper identification; if the person is a salesman, solicitor, repairman or utility company representative, he or she will have proper identification.
6. Light up the side of the house, back and front and garage area with nightlights; few homes with such lighting are ever hit.

7. Leave at least one light on (plus a bathroom light); on inside the house or apartment. Do not pull the shades or curtains when not at home.

8. When not at home don't leave a note saying when you will return and make sure you close and lock the garage door when leaving.

9. Put your address numbers on the back intrance way as well as the front.

10. Do not use spring-snap locks; they are opened very easily and practically without any sound.

11. Do not buy any cheap locks - they are hardely worth the risk.

12. Use dead-bolts locks (especially the ones that require a key); or use sliding barrel locks; use crossbars and hasp locks on garage, cellar and other such doors.

13. Check your hidges ... if the pins are =on the outside, change them to the inside (or to non-removable ones) to prevent a buglar from removing them to open the door to get in.

14. Make sure locks are away from windows (to prevent the window from being smashed and the buglar reaching in to unlock it.

15. Use chain locks as an added precaution on all entries.

16. Remember: it does little good to have good locks on the front door and poor locks elsewhere.

17. Don't put your name or address on the key case you carry; if lost or stolen, change locks regardless of whether you had your name or address inside the case.

18. Strong door frames and windows frames does little good to attache good locks to door frames or window frames when the frames are weak, rottedw or defective. Make sure your frames are solid and as strong as the locks and hinges. Your landlord (if you rent) is responsible for having good locks and good doors and window frames.

19. Cellar windows are many times left open and are an easy place to enter a home or apartment building. Close and lock them at all times!

20. Not only should every window have a lock on it (the best is a key lock), but it should have an additional lock that prevents it from being lifted higher than four inches.

21. Apartment renters should never allow their apartments to be on a "master key" arrangements; ask about this; and change your lock if the landlord will not.

22. Make sure cellar doorways to any part of the apartment building or to the basement, garage or fire escape is adequately locked just as solidly and securely as the front door.

23. Do not leave ladders outside the house; they are perfect devices for entry.

24. Do not leave rugs, wash or tools and other itwms outside the home overnight.

25. Keep the shrubbery trimmed away from windows and keep it trimmed to a low height; they are excellent places for someone to hide and not be seen when burglarizing.

26. Sliding doors are used frequently by burglars to enter. There should be two locks on such doors ... plus put a sliding board or broom handle braced inside the track to prevent the door from opening from the outside.

27. Padlock your gaurage (it is a good entry point for burglars).

28. Constantly check your locks (especially ones at doors and windows you do not use often); if any have been tampered with replace immediately and report it to the police.

29. Remember a barking dog at night is a signal someone may be prowling.

30. Be sure, at night as well as daytime, that yard gates and other such locations are closed; many burglars prefer a place where very easy access is provided - opening and closing a gate takes time, attracts attention, makes noise, etc.

31. Train children not to open the door to strangers at anytime.

32. Consider having a dog in the house; they are excellent noise makers and burglars avoid them for many reasons.

33. Always keep the door locked even when you are in the house; because you are there does not mean someone would not come in anyway.
34. Windows with air conditioners are a favorite point of entry for burglars. Nail or screw the window in place. This prevents the window from being opened and prevents the air conditioners from being stolen.

35. Locks for mailboxes are a miust for home and apartments; it is too easy to steal your mail. Get a U.S. Post Office opproved lock.

36. UDo nopt keep stocks, bonds, coin collections and such in your home; put them in a safe deposit box at the local bank.

37. Mark expensive clothing and furs witwh indelible ink, showing your driver's license number or some other identifiable mark.

38. Use the police engraver to engrave your driver license number or some other such identifiable mark on all valuables (silver, TV, radio, stero, clocks, guns, cameras, projectors, watches, typewriters, small and large appliances, paintings and other items) to aid in the recovery if stolen and help police trace the items to the burglar.

39. For items that cannot be engraved, write down their descriptions and keep in a safe place. Use this to identify stolen items and it will allow you to recover them if stolen. (If you cannot prove an item is yours, you cannot receive it even if police have recovered it.

40. Never allow anyone to talk you into "buying" back something stolen from your home. Report such an offer to the police promptly and follow their instructions on the matter.

41. Aside from locking the garage, never leave the key to the car or anything else in the car or garage.

42. When working in the back yard, don't leave the front door unlocked. Or if running next door for a minute, don't leave the house open and doors unlocked ... many thefts and burglaries occur this way without the owner or renter knowing it.

43. UJse break resistsnt glass at every window possible, especially in doors; remember also to nail or screw shut any unused windows and check around the house or apartment at ll heights to make sure rarely used windows or possible points of entry (such as a skylight, ventilator, air conditioner, window, etc.) are also secured with a nail screw or a lock. Burglars do not like to "work" to get into a place - they like the easy places.

44. Do not install a "doggie door" in any of your doors leading to the outside or onto the garage; they can become "burglar doors" too.

45. Report too many "wrong numbers" calls you receive from telephone callers to the police and telephone company; it could be a burglar trying to determine if anyone is at home.