InterestingArticles.com

 What are the chance that your home will be broken into and your valuables stolen? The answer is, it depends on a number of variables, which may vary from the location of your home, to the difficulty presented the burglar trying to access the premises.
The geographical location of a home plays a significant role in whether or not it is broken into. Obviously a home in a seedier part of a community is more likely to be burglarized than one in a gated well-to-do community.
The difficulty presented to the potential offender, however is a variable that every homeowner can affect. First of all, it is the amateur burglar that most people have to worry about. The majority of burglaries of residential homes are committed by males between the ages of 16 and 25 during daylight hours. They enter through a back window or door either by breaking it or prying it open. A homeowner can make it more difficult for a thief to break in by knowing a few simple things. These things are what security professionals call it “target hardening.” Target hardening is taking a home and making it more difficult to get into than it was before. As insensitive as it sounds, if a house is going to be burglarized, you want it to be your neighbor’s rather than yours.
There are relatively simple and inexpensive things a person can do to make his residence hard to break into quickly and quietly. Also, it does not take a professional security expert to implement these things. For example here is a short list:
1. Use deadbolt locks on all the doors with keys on both sides. Secure the striker plate with at least two-inch screws that go into the wooden frame of the door.
2. In the evening, use timers to turn the living and bedroom lights on and off at specific times as though someone was home.
3. Keep all windows and doors free of bushes and shrubbery so neighbors can see if someone is lurking around.
4. Drill holes in the bottom windows of single hung windows through the top of the window and bottom part of the top window to insert an eight or ten penny nail. This will prevent anyone from opening the window without breaking it.
5. Place pieces of wood in sliding door tracks and place pins in the top of the door to prevent opening.
6. Never leave an extra key under the mat or in a flowerpot. It is better to give one to a trusted neighbor.
7. Tell your neighbors and police department when you are going to be away for a length of time. Ask them to collect your newspaper.
8. Ask the post office to hold your mail when going on vacation.

There are other options available at higher prices such as installing an alarm system, but the above list is a good start toward making your home more difficult for the average burglar to victimize.