Lock out crime

Photo: Contributed

Every three minutes, a home in Canada is burglarized. Many of those break-ins occur while the homeowners are away. But burglaries can also take place when you are at home, at any time of the night or day.

 - Make sure your lighting and landscaping offer a clear view of your house from the street. Keep your windows and doors free of trees, bushes or other obstructions that could provide a hiding place for someone trying to break in. Entrances with good visibility and good lighting let thieves know that your home is not an easy target.

 - Secure all doors at all times with good quality deadbolt locks. While horizontal deadbolts are generally more popular, vertical deadbolt locks are actually the most effective option available.

 - When choosing a deadbolt, make sure that part of the bolt remains in the lock when in the locked position. The body of the lock should be made of solid steel, brass or bronze and it should have a solid or hardened ring or beveled housing to protect the cylinder from being twisted off with a wrench. This cylinder should have at least five pins and you must be able to unlock it without keys from the inside.

 - To further secure the entrances to your home, protect the hinge pins on all doors so they can’t be removed from the outside. To secure patio doors, consider installing an anti-Jimmy plate or adding safety bars and auxiliary locks.

- Use the viewer in your front door to see who is there before you open it.

- To keep would-be intruders from using your garage to enter your home, make sure everyone in your family knows to keep your garage door closed and locked at all times. Never leave the remote control for the garage on your car’s visor and don’t keep maintenance receipts or anything else with your address on it in your car.

- If you live in a remote area or spend prolonged periods of time away from home, consider investing in a burglar alarm system. A carefully selected and properly installed alarm can provide you and your loved ones with some welcome peace of mind.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.