All it takes is a simple Google search, opening a newspaper, or watching the news to see just how important home security is. However since so many people believe bad things cannot happen to them, they continue to live lifestyles that leave their homes and families vulnerable to crime. Just because you have never been a victim to crime does not mean that it will never happen.

In many cases, the situation could have been avoided. If victims had taken the time to educate themselves about how to keep themselves safe, then it is more likely that some of the crimes against them could have been avoided. Educate yourself so you can prevent crimes against you.

#1. Understand Your Vulnerabilities

One important lesson is to understand the statistics to know where you can improve your security.

• Most burglars break in through a ground-floor entry point.
• The most common entry points are ground floor doors. A garage door is the second most common entry point.
• Most burglars look for easy targets. They prefer residences that provide a quick and easy way to get in and out without getting caught.
• The majority of burglars won’t spend more than two minutes trying to break into a targeted residence. Once inside, most burglars carry out the theft and leave the residence within five minutes.
• The majority of burglars look for vacant houses and apartments with an open window or an unlocked door.

#2. Residential Crimes

By learning about the types of residential crimes, how often they occur, and the most common time for them can help you lessen your chances of them happening to you. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform crime report for the year 2011, there is a burglary every 14.4 seconds. That is a lot of burglaries.

Here are the statistics for residential crimes:

• In 2011, there was an estimated 9,063,173 property crime offenses in the nation.
• In 2011, the rate of property crime was estimated at 2,908.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.
• Larceny-theft accounted for 68% of all property crimes in 2011.
• Burglary accounted for 24.1%.
• Property crimes in 2011 resulted in losses estimated at $15.6 billion.
• Approximately 60% of all burglaries occur through forcible entry.
• Over 38% of residential burglaries occurred during the daytime.
• More than 20% of residential burglaries occurred during the evening hours.
• The remainder (more than 15%) occurred at an unknown time.
• Over 2 million of the property crimes reported involved burglaries.
• There were over 9 million property crimes reported in the United States
• More than 73% of the burglaries reported involved residential properties.

#3. Preventing Residential Crimes

According to those statistics, most crime happens during the daytime while people are at working or running errands. It makes it easier for criminals to get what they want from your home without being caught. However, home invasions do not only occur while the homeowner is away from the house. So even when you are home, it is important to keep everything locked.

The first step in making sure your home is not an easy target is to assess your residence for weak points. If your doors do not have strong, durable deadbolts, it is important to invest in some. Doors are the most commonly used for forced entry. It only takes 1.7 seconds to kick in a front door.

It is also important to have an alarm system. Alarm systems do not prevent criminals from getting into your home, but if it is a choice between a home without a security system and a home with a security system, criminals will most likely go for the home without one, since it is an easier target.

It is also important to have adequate lighting around your home. If your house is not well lit, it gives criminals a way to conceal themselves.

Tags: home, door, home security lock, deadbolt, lock, security, locks, door lock