The Ultimate Anti Burglary Guide

This guide has been put together to help everyday Australians make their homes safer. In this guide, we cover the definition and intention of what a burglar is as well as the top security prevention measures available to stop them in their tracks. Having a better understanding and general knowledge about burglars can help you to prevent your home from being a future target.

In order to stop a burglar, we must first understand what they are and what they want. Put simply a burglar is an opportunistic criminal that sees an opportunity to obtain something that is not theirs, either for financial gain or vanity. They obtain these objects by taking them without asking and without the intention of giving them back (this is legally known as stealing).

Despite how they are depicted, a burglar typically does not have any intent to physically harm anyone as they are only there to steal belongings. However, just like backing a snake into a corner, if you confront a burglar things can turn nasty as the burglar will switch to self-preservation and become unpredictable.

Preventing burglars from targeting your home

The best way to combat burglars is to deter them before they come in. You want to essentially make your home a no-go zone to anyone that you haven't invited. This can be done in numerous ways which we will delve into within this section.

Keep in mind that a skilled or seasoned burglar will typically keep an eye on your house for a few days even up to a few months before actually committing the burglary. They will be watching for regular patterns in your day-to-day activities as well as any kind of home protection that you may have.

Neighbourhood Watch

If there is a neighbourhood watch in your suburb or area it wouldn't hurt to become a part of it. The neighbourhood watch was established in 1983 as a crime prevention program aimed to improve the neighbourhood by minimising crime. All neighbourhood watch groups are made up of volunteers that live within an area and that work with Police to prevent crime by reporting any suspicious activity.

You can learn more about the neighbourhood watch and information on how to volunteer at nhw.com.au or nhwa.com.au

Security lighting

Security lighting is essentially outdoor lighting that is triggered by motion sensors. These lights will turn themselves on whenever movement occurs within the sensor's range. Burglars typically like to work in the dark. Having outdoor lighting strategically placed to cover entry points to your home or business is not ideal for them, and can potentially deter them.

Installing security cameras

You can't be watching your house at all times of the day and potentially there could be no neighbourhood watch in your area. This is when you can install security cameras to keep eye on your home when you are not home. There are numerous different types of cameras that you can have depending on your unique needs and wants. Camera options that we offer are:

• CCTV cameras
• IP cameras
• day/night cameras
• high quality, high definition (HD) analog or digital
• networking capabilities
• weatherproof cameras for external use
• DVR connection for remote live viewing from a computer, tablet, or smartphone
• infrared video
• motion detection

Alltronic Security can help you to design the perfect system to fill all of your needs inside and outside your home you can call us on 07 3353 3248 or if you already know what you are looking for you can request a quote.

Security Alarms

Having a security alarm installed can be another great deterrent. There are two main types of security alarms.

Loud Alarms

These types of alarms typically have a siren that will ring and a light that will flash. This is to attract attention from surrounding bypassers, neighbours and passing cars. This typically ends up with burglars running away before the Police arrive. No matter as you will have plenty of witnesses to give a description.

Silent Alarms

These are the direct opposite of the loud alarms with the aim of catching the criminal in the act. With the alarm being silent the burglar will continue to do what they are doing until the Police arrive. These systems are usually paired up with security alarm monitoring which will call the police on your behalf when the alarm is triggered.

You can even monitor your security alarm yourself with MyAlarm. An application for smartphones that allows you to control your alarm remotely and receive instant notifications of alarm activations. Speak to Alltronic Security today to see how we are able to help you with your new security alarm system.

Practical tips to deter burglars

Survey of convicted thieves

A survey was conducted with various convicted burglars on what would have most likely deterred them from burgling.

• 49% Stated that a security alarm would have stopped them.
• 22% Said functioning sensor lights would have deterred them.
• 19% Claimed that having lights on in the house would have put them off.
• 10% Expressed that if your home was highly visible from the street it would have made them too nervous to commit the crime.

Scary statistic : Over 200,000 burglaries are recorded in Australia every year. 40,000 of those homes will be burgled more than once. That's a staggering 20% of burgled homes being attacked more than once.

Be watchful of changes around your property

Seasoned burglars are typically ones that have not been caught yet. These cunning individuals will not only scope out your home but will also take steps to ensure that they will not get caught. You should always be watchful for anomalies around your home such as:

• Broken or defaced outside cameras.
• Paint over the lens
• Camera wires cut
• Smashed camera lens
• Tampered motion sensors
• Painted sensor
• Moved motion sensor (ie. tilted upwards)
• Moved lights (ie. turned to face away)
• Strange markings
• Painted spot on the driveway
• Rag tied to the front fence
• Chalked front fence

Be mindful when you are moving around your home

Have a walk around the outside of your home and see what can be seen inside. Look through windows as well as the front and back doors. This will give you a very good insight into what a potential burglar will see. Things such as coin bowls, jewellery, and technology like tablets and smartphones are all things that should not be visible from outside the home.

Need professional help with your home security?

We hope that this guide has helped you with keeping your home burglar-proof. For any help with security cameras or security alarms in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay and give us a call at 07 3353 3248 and our team will organise a time to help you design the perfect security alarm system for your home.