If you are building or buying your own home, you have the ability to determine what level of security will be maintained.
When considering where to build or buy, consider contacting the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction to ask what the crime history is for that neighborhood. Most agencies tabulate crime by geographic area (called districts, zones, sectors, sections, or something similar), and should be able to provide this data as public information.
Drive through the area to assess general conditions. Are the potential neighbors owners themselves, or are the owners predominantly absentee and the occupants primarily renters? While renters are not negative neighbors in any way, owners just naturally have a more intense interest in maintaining their own property in prime condition, and will tend to be more involved in neighborhood affairs.
Plants should not create places of concealment, particularly adjacent to the entrance or at bedroom windows. If plants are overgrown, ask to have them trimmed before buying.
If you are selecting plant materials, work with the landscape designer to ensure that the materials selected will not grow to create a problem.
Remember that privacy fences limit the ability of your neighbors and police/security patrols to see the enclosed area; if you don't really need the privacy, consider a cyclone or other fencing material which does not block open view.
If the telephone and/or cable come in overhead, look to see where the nearest above-ground splice-boxes are located and whether those locations are inside fenced yards or are accessible to anyone.
Locks are your first line of security; most burglars enter through an existing opening.
With locks, perhaps more than with other hardware, you get what you pay for. You shouldn't scrimp when selecting locks; a few dollars up front can prevent a sizable loss later. You want the best quality locks you can afford!
You have security with a lock only when you can account for every key; if you are buying an existing home, pay for a qualified and reputable locksmith to change the keyways and establish good key control from the outset.
Key-in-the knob locksets offer virtually NO security; if your home is equipped with these, they should be replaced.
The most secure locks are double-cylinder deadbolts, which require a key to operate from either side.
Windows are an existing opening, and may also be exploited by a burglar if not adequately secured. Most burglars are, however, extremely reluctant to break glass as this sounds carries further than almost any other noise, and elicits a response from most people who hear it. Therefore, if you protect your windows, they are not a security liability, and can provide some security benefit.
The best single protection for windows is storm glazing. Installation of auxiliary storm windows on an existing house puts a whole additional security layer in place, and usually provides very adequate security. On new homes, double and triple glazing is normally used for insulation value, and accomplishes the same function of defense against simply breakage. Multiple layers of glazing are desirable.
Windows should be equipped with a locking device; most manufacturers install devices which provide very adequate security if properly maintained and used. Any lock used on windows should operable from the inside so the window can be used for emergency egress!
Older homes may need supplemental security devices if the original locks are no longer operable or if none exist. Double-hung sash windows can be secured with a pin-lock similar to those described above for sliding doors; a hole is drilled completely through the inside sash so that a pin can be inserted which projects into the outside sash, thus securing both in place. Care must be taken not to drill too close to the glazing.
Consider whether you want to install "stops" on windows to prevent them from being opened more than a pre-selected width, typically six or eight inches, which is adequate for ventilation but will not admit a human body. This is readily accomplished by screwing a block of wood (or metal to match the window, if available) into the track above the sliding sash.
With stops in place, even if a would-be intruder defeats your lock, he cannot open the sash more than the limited width without breaking glass. Thumbscrew metal stops are also available for some windows, which are easier to adjust/remove than traditional wooden stops. Obviously, "stops" limit the ability for you to use windows as a means of emergency exit, requiring you to break out the window to quickly exit a room.
Security grilles or bars are not recommended for home use; because they must be equipped with a device to enable them to be opened in the event of an emergency, they are vulnerable to manipulation from the outside. While they give the appearance of being secure, any competent burglar knows they really aren't effective.
Access to your attic should be inside your security perimeter; in the garage or an interior space. If you have an external access door, consider having it professionally removed and the opening permanently sealed; there is no effective way to adequately secure such an opening.
The same applies to hatches to crawl spaces (externally-applied padlocks are much too easy to defeat to provide any but the most temporary security), and outside hatchways to basements (although modern all-steel hatchways usually are capable of being adequately secured from inside, and not very vulnerable to manipulation or defeat from outside).
If the garage is attached, does the overhead door have an outside keyway? The most secure garage lock is one which is applied inside and has no outside keyway.
Garage door openers are vulnerable to manipulation with electronic devices; if the overhead door is opener-equipped,
Alarm systems can significantly enhance security if installed and used properly.
Phony "Warning: These Premises Protected by the Acme Alarm Company" signs are usually not effective; a serious burglar need only look in the telephone directory to see whether an alarm company exists. Most companies won't let non-customers display their emblem, and the burglars know that, too. There's no harm in using such signs, but don't expect them to provide any protection.
Always use a licensed vendor to install, repair, or service an alarm system. While licensure does not guarantee honesty, it does indicates that the vendor has registered with the state, and has met the specified minimum criteria for your locale. In most cases, licensure is predicated upon proof of adequate insurance and/or bonding, so you have that protection as well.
Local alarm systems (those which sound only on the protected premises) are much less effective, especially when local ordinances limit the time for which the signal can sound to avoid nuisance disturbance of neighbors. If you invest in such an alarm, you are counting on your neighbors to call the police to respond. Having the signals from your alarm system monitored by a licensed vendor better assures that you get the protection you pay for when you install an alarm system.
Continually-monitored is much better than a center which your system dials; while almost all systems rely upon telephone connection for reporting, continually monitored systems respond to interrupted service, while those which use a dialer are useless if telephone service is cut off. Since monitoring costs more, this is a budget decision, but remember that you get what you pay for.
The best alarm systems are those which combine perimeter and interior detection devices. Every door should be protected with some type of switch device. Covering every window (or even every "downstairs window" in multi-story houses) can get very expensive very quickly; your decision should be guided by local experience with criminal entry through windows; if that's a common occurrence in your area, window protection is probably advisable. If not, interior protection may be adequate. If window protection is needed, glass-break sensors are the preferred device.
Interior devices cover a volume of space, and are typically ceiling-mounted. The least-susceptible to false alarm are passive infra-red sensors (which are really thermostats that detect the presence of a human intruder by comparing the 98.6 degree body heat to the usual ambient temperature in occupied space which is typically between fifty-five and seventy-five degrees). Pets, air currents, rodents, and other similar sources will not set off passive infrared devices, and thus generate minimal false alarms.
Don't forget to provide coverage for any attic access in exposed or semi-exposed locations (like the garage).
Consider installing one or more panic buttons at fixed locations, or obtaining one or more such devices which can be worn on a chain if you have members of the family with health problems or limited mobility.
You'll need to decide whether you intend to use the system when you're home, or only when you're out. If you want protection when you're at home, the system will have to have "zones" so you can arm the perimeter while leaving occupants freedom to move about.
Every system has a control panel of some type. In most home security systems, the controls are concealed in a closet or utility room, and only the controls necessary to operate the system are in occupied space. In most systems, these controls take the form of a touch-pad resembling the one on your telephone. You "arm" or "disarm" the system by punching in a code.
Most users find it convenient for all members of the family to use the same code, but many systems are capable of multiple codes. Some systems are also capable of using arm codes with one less digit that the disarm codes, allowing you to have a household worker turn the system on when they leave, but unable to turn the system off. You'll need to consider how you want to use the system before making a decision about type and installation.
Installing the keypad inside the protected space prevents any access by unauthorized persons, but necessitates that there be a delay in signaling an intrusion (at least from the entrance where the control is located) in order to allow sufficient time for a family member to disarm the system upon entering. You can eliminate this delay by installing the touch-pad outside the protected perimeter. While this does subject the pad to attack, you can minimize the risk by installing it inside the garage rather than at the front door.
Many people come and go through their garages, and inside installation of the touch-pad minimizes any opportunity for someone to attempt to defeat the system through that device.
If you have high-value assets inside your home, there are supplemental devices available to extend alarm protection to these items. You can alarm a closet used as an inside "strong-room", a display case for collectibles, a safe or vault, or wall-hung artwork. Any competent alarm vendor can assist in devising a means to protect almost any asset.
Alarm systems don't eat, sleep, get bored, or take vacations. They are, however, electro-mechanical devices subject to failure, and must be tested regularly to ensure they work as designed. Set up a test schedule with your vendor; at least once monthly is highly recommended.
A final word on alarms: If you're going to pay for a security alarm, it costs very little additional to incorporate fire detection in a system, and that signal can also be reported to your vendor, thus providing continual personal safety and security protection, but protection for the property from fire loss. Installing a few thermostatic detectors in the attic, above fireplace openings, in garages and shops, and in the kitchen will significantly enhance the speed and effectiveness of detection of fire.
If you have certain assets which you wish to afford a higher level of security on a routine basis, or you want to create a space within which you can secure high-risk or high-value assets during periods when you will be gone from your home for extended periods, you might consider creating an inside strong room.
Select an interior closet or similar small space. Replace the door with a solid core wood or metal door, Use non-removable pin or pinned hinges. Install a deadbolt lock and a matching box strike in the manner described above.
If you have an alarm system, extend it to cover the door to the strong room; provide a separate activation touch-pad for this room if desired. Now you have the home equivalent of a vault; unless the intruder is willing to destroy interior walls, it is unlikely entry will be gained in the amount of time a typical home burglar is willing to spend on the premises.
Bear in mind that, absent special protection, this strong room remains as vulnerable to fire as the rest of your home. Use of a safety deposit box or off-premises storage for critical records and small valuables is still strongly recommended.