Under lock and key: protecting your home from invasion

Under Lock&Key- How to protect your home from invasion There were an estimated 2,159,878 burglaries in 2010 73.9% ..that's 1 burglary every 14 seconds were residential properties 3 OUT OF 5 They caused a total of involved forcible entry $4,600,000,000 in estimated losses When and where burglars invade 田 7 Back doors are Open windows are frequent targets during summer Break-ins often July and August top the charts for frequent break-ins; February ranks last occur in the the most common entry point; they're often daytime, when you're at school or work months kicked in What discourages burglars the most? Monitored home security systems 1 田 2 Electronic sensors in windows Closed-circuit TV cameras Security patrols 4 Dog in house Weapons in the home, including guns () Guardhouses protecting neighborhoods 7 Random police walk-bys Improved exterior lighting Neighborhood Watch programs 10 Safes/strong boxes 11 Local burglar alarms 12 Deadbolt lock 13 Interior lights, especially timed 14 Home security's best friend of burglars surveyed would run if they met a large, unwelcoming dog 95% face-to-face Flood light fail Marcus Felson, a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, notes that: Flood lights are Unwatched, A thief who's flood lights just help criminals only effective if forced to use a someone is flashlight is watching an see what much more area they're doing conspicuous The human eye adjusts to the brightest light around. Too-bright lights conceal everything in the darkness around them-something glaring security lights are often guilty of. Stop being so social 15% 35% OF AMERICANS OF AMERICANS post status updates or tweets when they aged 18-34 check in at locations away leave home from home A study by the firm Credit Sesame interviewed 50 ex-burglars in England and found that: 78% 74% believe burglars today use Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to target which properties to rob believe Google Street View is used to case homes before robberies How to prevent burglaries Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed Make your home look occupied Make it difficult to break in – add deadbolt locks if you do not already have them Check basement windows and doors to make sure they are secured Don't use social media to announce when you're away from home Don't allow mail to pile up while you are away Fit window locks to all downstairs windows, and to easily accessible upstairs windows Change locks immediately if your keys are stolen or lost When moving into a new home, have all locks changed Consider installing an alarm system, or buying a dog IMPROVEMENT CENTER Created for improvementcenter.com © QuinStreet, Inc. 2012 SOURCES: Victimization During Household Burglary, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010 Does social media compromise the security of your home?, Credit Sesame, 2011 Burglary, FBI, 2010 Home Invasion Statistics and Definitions from the FBI, Home Invasion News. 2011 METLIFE AUTO & HOME® POLL REVEALS AMERICANS "CHECKING OUT" ON HOME SAFETY BASICS, MetLife, 2011 Dogs and personal security: an introductory guide, NCSU, 2000 Security Statistics, Safeguard the World, 2010 The Dark Side, The New Yorker, 2007 The effectiveness of neighborhood watch programs, UOPX Writer Network, 2011 Secrets of a Super Thief, Jack MacLean 10 Under Lock&Key- How to protect your home from invasion There were an estimated 2,159,878 burglaries in 2010 73.9% ..that's 1 burglary every 14 seconds were residential properties 3 OUT OF 5 They caused a total of involved forcible entry $4,600,000,000 in estimated losses When and where burglars invade 田 7 Back doors are Open windows are frequent targets during summer Break-ins often July and August top the charts for frequent break-ins; February ranks last occur in the the most common entry point; they're often daytime, when you're at school or work months kicked in What discourages burglars the most? Monitored home security systems 1 田 2 Electronic sensors in windows Closed-circuit TV cameras Security patrols 4 Dog in house Weapons in the home, including guns () Guardhouses protecting neighborhoods 7 Random police walk-bys Improved exterior lighting Neighborhood Watch programs 10 Safes/strong boxes 11 Local burglar alarms 12 Deadbolt lock 13 Interior lights, especially timed 14 Home security's best friend of burglars surveyed would run if they met a large, unwelcoming dog 95% face-to-face Flood light fail Marcus Felson, a professor at the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, notes that: Flood lights are Unwatched, A thief who's flood lights just help criminals only effective if forced to use a someone is flashlight is watching an see what much more area they're doing conspicuous The human eye adjusts to the brightest light around. Too-bright lights conceal everything in the darkness around them-something glaring security lights are often guilty of. Stop being so social 15% 35% OF AMERICANS OF AMERICANS post status updates or tweets when they aged 18-34 check in at locations away leave home from home A study by the firm Credit Sesame interviewed 50 ex-burglars in England and found that: 78% 74% believe burglars today use Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to target which properties to rob believe Google Street View is used to case homes before robberies How to prevent burglaries Lock all outside doors and windows before you leave the house or go to bed Make your home look occupied Make it difficult to break in – add deadbolt locks if you do not already have them Check basement windows and doors to make sure they are secured Don't use social media to announce when you're away from home Don't allow mail to pile up while you are away Fit window locks to all downstairs windows, and to easily accessible upstairs windows Change locks immediately if your keys are stolen or lost When moving into a new home, have all locks changed Consider installing an alarm system, or buying a dog IMPROVEMENT CENTER Created for improvementcenter.com © QuinStreet, Inc. 2012 SOURCES: Victimization During Household Burglary, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010 Does social media compromise the security of your home?, Credit Sesame, 2011 Burglary, FBI, 2010 Home Invasion Statistics and Definitions from the FBI, Home Invasion News. 2011 METLIFE AUTO & HOME® POLL REVEALS AMERICANS "CHECKING OUT" ON HOME SAFETY BASICS, MetLife, 2011 Dogs and personal security: an introductory guide, NCSU, 2000 Security Statistics, Safeguard the World, 2010 The Dark Side, The New Yorker, 2007 The effectiveness of neighborhood watch programs, UOPX Writer Network, 2011 Secrets of a Super Thief, Jack MacLean 10