Home security is an issue to which we all need to give considerable thought. The combined amount of money lost in the 2.1 million burglaries in 2003 was 3.5 billion dollars. According to the FBI, 65.8% of these burglaries occurred at personal residences. You need to understand how to formulate proper home security. This understanding includes recognizing how to deter a break-in, knowing what is included in a home security system, having an emergency plan in place--just in case, and being informed on how to prepare your home when you are on vacation.

Intruders' Worst Enemies

A number of things can be done to help to ensure home security. First and foremost, you need to understand how a burglar thinks. Light, time, and noise are an intruder's worst enemies. Your home won't be considered an easy target if a burglar has no option but to work in a well lit area, if the break-in will take a lot of time, and if he can't work in peace and quiet. Darkness and shade offer protection for an intruder and an excellent breach in your home security. Sure, privacy fences and ornate shrubbery look good and offer privacy for your home, but they also offer privacy for criminals. Consider trading a little extra privacy for a bit of added home security. Force any would-be burglar to confront a real enemy--light. Making robbing your home a noisy job can also up your home security. Installing a home security system with an alarm, mounted exterior lights, and door and window detectors will help dissuade an intruder.

Home Security Systems

A residence without a home security system is approximately three times more likely to be broken into than one without. Homeowners who have home security systems loose an average of $400 less in valuables in the event of a robbery. These facts prove that the installation of a home security system dissuades intruders and protects your home. Home security systems can include everything you could possibly need. Perimeter sensors on outside doors and windows, Timers for interior and exterior lights, Sirens, strobe lights and other alert mechanisms, Home security cameras for inside or outside use, Motion detectors in key inside areas, A control unit to interpret and respond to signals from the above and A connection to a central monitoring station which notifies the police of a breach in your home security. Solidify your overall sense of safety with a home security system. There aren't any good reasons for you to be fearful in your own home.

Consider the Basics

Reducing the risk of a break-in is merely making your home less inviting to burglars than the other homes in your neighborhood. Home security systems aren't the only way to guarantee home security; some basic steps can be taken to safeguard your home. If a burglar is delayed just a few minutes, he is apt to give up and try another less problematical home. Basic, ordinary home security equipment, such as padlocks and deadbolts, can discourage an intruder and stop him from entering your home. Forty percent of home invasions occur because a door or window was left unlocked. All exterior doors need to be made of either metal or solid hardwood and be a minimum of 1 3/4 inches thick.

Remember, even the best and most efficient lock, if it is placed in a weak door, will not stop a determined burglar. Key locks are the best type of home security for your windows, and they are available for and easily installed on all types of windows. These almost-effortless precautions can greatly increase your home security.

Ralph Winn has over 32 years of experience in the security industry. Throughout his career, he has developed cost effective security programs for numerous small, medium, large commercial and government properties and for many nationally known corporations. http://www.homesecuritystore.com.