Safe Home
By on Jun 13, 2008
By J. Lynn Fraser
You see your home as an investment in your future and burglars see it as an investment in theirs. To ensure that your home stays safe and secure there are basic precautions you should take.
To begin with, Police Constable Ed Heinrichs of the Toronto Police Department's Crime Prevention unit suggests that you have a wide-angle peephole in your front door. Consider removing all the glass around your exterior doors and ensure that your door lock is not located near glass, which can be easily broken into. As well, Heinrichs advises your door be "up to code". This means that the door should be steel or solid wood. The locks on your doors should have three-inch screws holding your door's faceplate (the plate on the door). The same is true for the screws going into the strike plates (the part of the lock which connects to the frame).
Certified locksmith and security consultant Frank Fourchalk says the first step a homeowner should take when buying their home from a developer is to have their locks repinned. That doesn't mean changing them. It means that the pin configuration inside the lock should be changed because various tradespeople have had access to a universal key to your home.
Your back gate, Fourchalk remarks, should be secured with a deadbolt that uses a key. Secure the patio door with a lock, a pin, or with a metal bar or dowel. Otherwise a burglar can simply lift the door off its track.Windows can also be held with pins and auxiliary locks. Both Heinrichs and Fourchalk suggest using security film. This six-millimetre transparent plastic is like an adhesive that can be placed over your windows. Security tape will help protect your windows against "blunt force trauma", says Heinrichs. Keeping your valuables out of view from the outside world also helps in making your home safer.
A motion detector connected to your lights is also a good idea as long as they stay lit when someone has stopped moving. Lighting on a timer is a good idea, but the times the lights turn on should be alternated. And since foliage around your home can provide hiding spots, Heinrichs says it's useful to trim trees high and busheslow. It's always important to refrain from opening your door for a stranger, if your chain lock won't protect you.
