Making Your Home a Castle – Home Security and You Part II
Layer II: Interior Security
Many people incorrectly assume that by locking doors and windows and setting their alarm systems will thwart all burglars. This is an incorrect assumption, because many criminals understand that once inside they have time before the authorities arrive. If there is no alarm system and the criminal gains entry, they know they have all the time in the world…at least until you or a loved one comes home and discovers them in the act.
Pets
When asked, many people believe their dog is a guard animal. In general, this is a bad assumption. A dog not specifically trained for the job is easily pacified, and burglars often know that by feeding the animal they can keep it quiet. Whats worse, burglars have been known to poison dogs to keep them from being a problem. Pets, especially dogs, have a place in the security environment, and a noisy dog works great in conjunction with a secure perimeter to keep the burglar from hanging around the outside too long looking for entry. If you believe you need a true guard dog, do your research and be prepared to make a huge commitment to a large and possibly dangerous animal.
Locks, Safes, and More
If you have multiple roommates in a single house, it is probably best that each person lock their own room. This keeps your roommates friends from being dishonest, and helps keep everyone happy. Even more, it provides another barrier that a burglar needs to overcome, wasting their valuable time. Be careful when implementing interior locks that it does not create a dangerous situation in the event of a fire or for small children.
If you have valuables such as jewelry, cash, coin collections, firearms, bonds, or anything of the sort, invest in a safe. Safes come in all shapes and sizes, just follow two rules: buy one that is bigger than you think you’ll need and buy one that is rated for the type or protection you need. For example, most safes are rated for burglary, fire, water, or a combination of the three. A fire safe is great for documents, identifications, and valuable papers, but if it is not burglary rated it makes a poor place to store guns or jewelry.
Safes also should be mounted to a solid surface. The largest stand-up safe can be breeched if it is tipped over, and smaller safes can be carried out and unlocked at the burglar’s convenience. Check your safes manufacturer for recommended mounting instructions.
Safes come in key-lock, combination lock, electronic lock, and biometric lock. Each of these has positive and negative traits, as well as a proportionate increase in cost, so study your options.
Key Management
A common occurrence in burglary is that after someone has suffered the devastation of discovering their home ransacked, their car gets stolen out of their driveway days later. This is one of the reasons it is so important to keep your keys under control. If a burglar manages to break in, any locked interior door or key safe is immediately available to him if you leave a spare set of keys laying around. Buy yourself a locking key cabinet, preferably one with a combination so you don’t have to manage yet another key. If you have a combination safe for other valuables, your spare keys can also be safely stored there. You want to make sure any shed or garage keys are stored as well; you wouldn’t want a burglar taking your shed keys, getting an axe or sledge hammer, and pounding open your safe.
Fire considerations
Fire in the home is much more likely to happen than burglary. Therefore, it is important to prepare for this possibility. Make sure your home is equipped with working smoke detectors, heat detectors, and Carbon Monoxide sensors. Make sure that the batteries are charged and are changed yearly. Nowadays, you can even have a sprinkler system installed in your home.
We previously discussed having fire and waterproof safes in the previous section. It is important to also have a fire extinguisher available. Each type of extinguisher is rated for different types of fires, and have different capacities. Check with your local home improvement store or the manufacturer to choose extinguishers that are best for you.
You should also have a plan for escape. Sit down with your family or roommates and discuss a plan to exit your home safely and meet at a gathering point.
That does it for Layer II, in the next part we will look at your personal security options, and how to avoid identity theft.
