Making break-ins more difficult

Thieves, like everyone else, are most likely to go for the easiest means of achieving their objectives.
Keeping doors locked and putting blockers in keyholes make it that bit more difficult for thieves, who would normally like to be in and out of the premises with their loot as quickly as possible, especially if the premises are occupied.
Locking internal doors when leaving the premises unattended and when retiring to bed at night limits the thief to the room that he first breaks into.
To get into an adjoining room a thief would need a key that fits a connecting door or have to break the door down, which would be noisy and, if there were people in the house,  wake them and give them the opportunity to telephone the police, sound an alarm  and  summon assistance from their rapid response service, if they subscribe to one.
Burglar bars are another deterrent. To get through burglar bars will normally mean carrying bolt cutters, unless they are a screw-on type and can be unscrewed.
When securing your house with burglar bars, seek advice on the most secure type.
While you want bars that fit in with the general ambience of the house, they must be strong and not be easy to cut.
There are many types of burglar bars.
The most ornate and pleasing to the eye are not necessarily the most difficult to cut through. Thin bars can easily be cut with bolt cutters.
A substantial steel bar with a good circumference is best. Almost any bar can be sawn through with a hacksaw but that is a noisy and time-consuming process.
Most people have burglar bars on only the windows that open. However, having them on all windows would be a more effective protection, since windows can always be broken.
Burglar bars that come out from a window tend to be an even bigger deterrent than those that are fitted against the window. They can be used to protect the whole window area.
They could also be used in conjunction with bars on the windows themselves, creating a double barrier.
Security screens or gates fitted in front of doors are another good deterrent.
 There are various types. There are grills with a gate in them that can be put across a porch, some distance from the door. There are also grill gates that can be put directly over the door.
An added advantage of such security screens is that they may enable you during the daytime to leave the door open while maintaining security by keeping the security gate locked.
There are also expanding gates. Some gates have a slam lock, so that, were someone pursuing you, you could slam the gate after you and it would lock automatically.

– This column is sponsored by Safeguard Security in the public interest.