burglars

make the case
Take the time to “case” your house, just as a burglar would. Where is the easiest entry? How can you make it more burglar-resistant? Trim trees and shrubs near your doors and windows, and think carefully before installing a high, wood fence around your backyard. High fences and shrubbery can add to your privacy, but privacy is a burglar’s asset. Consider trading a little extra privacy for a bit of added security. Force any would-be burglar to confront a real enemy — light. Exterior lights, mounted out of easy reach, can reduce the darkness a burglar finds comforting. Time also is a burglar’s enemy. A burglar delayed for four or five minutes is apt to give up and try for another, less difficult location. Simple security devices — including such ordinary equipment as nails, screws, padlocks, door and window locks, grates, bars and bolts — can discourage intruders and keep them from entering. Consider the noise factor. Try to make the general prospect of robbing your home a noisy job. Many types of alarm systems are available, with detectors mounted on doors and windows. Deciding just how much protection you need — and can afford — is a personal judgment. Just make sure you have an interior and exterior horn or sounding device. That way, if your alarm sounds, someone is sure to hear it — namely, the burglar! Finally, ask yourself if any of your valuables — such as a painting, a silver collection or an antique chair — are easy to see from outside. Rearranging your furnishings might be advisable if it serves to make your home less inviting to criminals! Incidentally, should you ever need to report a burglary or file an insurance claim, a household inventory — a listing of your furniture and major personal belongings — could be a valuable document.