The secret to effective home security

As the weather warms up, the last thing on your mind might be home security. There are better things to be preoccupied with, such as enjoying a bite to eat in the garden or catching that tan you wanted. However, in sunny weather, home security should stay at the forefront of your mind. It’s when your property is most vulnerable as you will often leave windows and patio doors open without thinking about it. Thieves know this is a common occurrence and seek out opportunities to exploit – they can be in and out of your property within minutes, if not seconds, to swipe that high-value phone you’ve left on display, or your set of car keys.

With over 20 years of experience delivering world-class security and aisle containment solutions, Cross-Guard is a global leader in a wide range of sectors. But business is not all that we do! We’ve also got a great reputation dealing with home and domestic security. Our security grilles are designed and manufactured to last with installation provided by our approved suppliers and distributors.

Since security matters to us, and most likely matters to you if you’re reading this article, we wanted to share some top security tips to reveal the secret to effective home security. By combining the advice in this article, you’ll be well on your way to protecting your home to a high standard. Take a look at our security tips below.

INVEST IN SECURITY GRILLES FOR HOME SECURITY

Home security grilles protect your windows and doors even when they’re open in the summer weather. Security grilles are toughened, steel lattice systems, which cover your windows and doors for security, but still allow airflow and light into your home. The example below shows our CX2 security grille, most popular in the domestic and commercial markets.

INSTALL A HOME CCTV DOORBELL

CCTV cameras in general are a good deterrent and can be installed around your building. However, for a cheaper alternative, you may decide to get a CCTV doorbell. While you won’t have the same coverage depending on how many are installed, compared to several CCTV cameras, you can quickly identify anyone scoping out your property, and often you can add motion alert triggers so you get notified on your phone as soon as someone gets too close to your door. In addition, contrary to popular belief, burglars will quite readily try your doorbell to check if the property is empty or not. By answering through a ring doorbell, you can give the illusion of a presence in the home.

REMOVE THE SHADOWS WITH MOTION-ACTIVATED HOME SECURITY LIGHTING

Investing in good lighting around the home and garden in itself can be a theft deterrent. You can buy timer lights that will be on while you’re out, making thieves assume you never left home, or smart lights you can operate through your phone. Although lights in the garden are not necessarily an indication someone is home, they do make criminals more visible, especially if you have a CCTV system or something similar in place. Criminals will be deterred by these simple, cheap, home security devices, worried there could be more chance of them getting identified by a witness.

TURN YOUR GARDEN INTO AN OPEN, SECURE ZONE

The fewer hiding places available to thieves, the better. Where you can, it’s advisable to keep your garden tidy and your hedges trimmed, limiting the number of objects a thief can hide behind or use for cover. A well-lit, open area is not desirable to any burglars as it means they will need to operate within easier view of neighbours or passers-by.

INVEST IN A SECURITY CABINET OR SECURITY SAFE

There are lots of safes available commercially from cheap, smaller safes, to larger, digital safes that can be bolted to the floor. If you have high-value electronics, tools, or jewellery and you require a more heavy-duty solution to protect valuables in your home, you could also consider our Safestor security cabinet. Our Safestor security cabinet is dedicated to the protection of a broad range of items and completely bespoke to your needs.

COULD A DOG BE FOR YOU?

If you want a loyal companion that can guard your home from burglars, then dogs do prove to be effective deterrents, as thieves don’t want the risk of being injured or mauled by a dog. However, please be responsible, and don’t only buy a dog for this reason. Dogs have many complex needs that an owner needs to be able to fulfil.

SMART APPLIANCES AND HOME SECURITY AUTOMATION

Even when you’re out the house, you can take back the reins by having smart appliances that you can switch on and off with the click of a button. Perhaps you can switch on a light, or leave the radio or TV on, just to indicate someone is home, even if that’s not the case. Home automation is becoming increasingly popular as a method of security, especially due to the ease of use.

JOIN OR SET UP A NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD SECURITY

Do you have a trusted neighbour you can confide in if you’re planning some time away from your property? You can provide them with contact details in case of the worst scenario and ask if they would mind parking their car on your drive to give the impression someone is home at your property. Alternatively, have you considered joining or setting up a neighbourhood watch, where you agree to help one another within the community to help identify and prevent theft.

BE PICKY ABOUT YOUR RUBBISH: YOU COULD GIVE THIEVES AN UNWANTED INSIGHT INTO YOUR HOME

You can tell a lot about a person from their rubbish – including what new and expensive gadgets they own in the house. When thieves scope your home, they may take note of specific rubbish you discard of, including boxes for new TVs etc. From this, they can make an informed decision on whether the risk of burgling your house is worth the reward.

Our advice? Keep your valuables secure and out of sight and be picky about what you throw in the trash. You may wish to build up boxes for expensive TVs and computing equipment to take to the skip instead. This indirectly aids the security of your home as you become a less likely target.

DON’T GIVE THIEVES THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO BREAK INTO YOUR HOME

How do burglars break into your home? Common burglars tend to use tools at their disposal at the time of the crime, especially opportunists. If you leave heavy rocks near your property or tooling that will help them break in, you are compromising home security through carelessness. Move or discard these types of item so you don’t make your home an easy target.

GET IN TOUCH FOR HOME SECURITY GRILLE SOLUTIONS

If you’re interested in our window and door security grilles to help protect your property, or if you’d like to know more about our heavy-duty security and storage cabinet, you can give our team a ring on +44 (0)808 301 9807 or email grillesales@cross-guard.com.