much as I hate to say it, Leeb had one good post:
Belle,
Assuming you actually want an answer, here's what I can think of off the top of my head.
1. For personal safety as well as the safety of your home: situational awareness. Pay attention to your surroundings.
2. Be close to your neighbors. Have a basic idea of their schedules and pay attention to what goes on over there. You're not being nosy, you're being a good neighbor.
3. Get in the habit of locking your doors and windows. Rarely do I go through an exterior door without locking it behind me.
4. Thieves, like everyone else, covet what they see. Try to avoid putting valuables where someone peering in a window can see them. Buy curtains and blinds. Use them.
5. Make your front door so that you can see them, but they can't see you. Peepholes are okay. A window with a two way mirror is better.
6. People with odd schedules have less of a chance of getting robbed. Not saying one needs to rearrange their life for this. Just stating the fact.
7. A well lit exterior is a very good idea. If the goblin decides to approach a window of door, they usually won't stick around long if they feel like they're on stage and in the spotlight.
8. Don't give them a place to hide. Bushes and shrubs outside your windows look nice, but they can provide a place to hide. If you have to have bushes, get something thorny.
9. Put something outside the window that makes noise when you step on it. Some kinds of gravel, especially if you have it loose and deep, make all sorts of racket.
10. Buy some cheap light timers so that, even if your schedule is consistent, the lights might throw them off.
11. Get a dog with a loud bark. Nothing makes a goblin think twice more than a big dog. If you don't have a dog, you can buy motion detectors that will make a barking sound.
12. If you are going to be away from home for a while, make sure your neighbors keep an eye on things. Ask them to park their car in your driveway.
13. Make a point of retreat. Make the door for the master bedroom heavy duty. Keep your cell phone charged and right by the bedside. In the unlikely event that your phone wires are cut, you'll still be able to call for help.
14. Most importantly: put yourself in the thief's shoes. How would you get in the house? Try to open your doors using an old credit or grocery store card. This exercise will help you identify any weaknesses.
15. Don't give copies of your keys to anyone. If you have your car repaired, take the house keys off the ring. Think about it. The repairman knows where you live and has ample time to make copies of your key.
16. Don't leave notes on the door for relatives if you run to the store. Might as well put a huge sign out front that says "Rob us!".
17. Make items in your home easy to identify. Paint them or scratch your name on them, etc. This applies more to tools than anything else.
18. Don't hide a key under the porcelain frog, door mat, flower pot, etc. That's the first place they'll look. Wrap it in oiled paper and put it in a plastic container. Bury it somewhere in the yard that you can find it again.
19. If you rent a home, insist on the landlord replacing all the locks. Otherwise, everyone that lived there, possibly their friends/boyfriends/relatives, etc has a key to your home. The same goes for an apartment of course.
20. You can mount a can of pepper spray right on the back of the front door. You'll never be completely defenseless when answering the door from now on.
21. If you have a garage door opener, and your house ever had any previous occupants, change the code.
22. Don't leave ladders, crowbars, and other implements of destruction lying around outside. I know this seems obvious, but you'd be surprised...
23. If your house is opulent, and there is no question about whether or not you have desirable possessions, consider surveilance cameras. You can monitor them from your computer while you are away on business. In fact, I think you should be able to do it from an iPhone, Droid or something similar now. Even the presence of the camera will deter some people.
There is another level of security one can employ for their home, but is is "architecturally determined" and, of course, is rather expensive. Granted, if you've got that kind of money, you can hire someone a bit more in the game than I am, as my information might be incomplete due to an aging mind.
But certain principles die hard. Thieves are opportunists. They are also lazy. If they weren't lazy, they'd be gainfully employed. The very best ones won't bother with the average person's home. The good news is: in all likelihood, you'll only ever have to worry about the stupid ones.
People that are concerned about their security are often derided as paranoid. That's not true of course. It's just that those pointing fingers don't know the difference between paranoid and diligence.
So here's the difference: the paranoid person fears everyone. The diligent person fears the small number of dangerous and motivated people.
Plan as you see fit. But remember, the only person truly responsible for your personal safety and security is you.
