4 Upgrades That Detour Burglars

Your home is supposed to be a safe place, but because it's where you keep all your belongings, it may also be a target for burglars. For this reason, you may wonder what you can do to improve the security of your home. Luckily, you have many ways to deter burglars, so check out these four upgrades that can help.

1. Lots of Light

While you probably don't want to keep your yard lit up all night, motion-detecting lights can go a long way in scaring away potential burglars. These lights turn on as soon as they see movement, and many can flood the area with light, making it easy for everyone to see who creeps around on your property. The risk may send criminals running as soon as the lights trigger, keeping them far from your house.

You may also want to incorporate continuous light in particularly dark or hidden areas, which prevents criminals from hiding in those areas. Overall, security lighting should provide a clear view, allow you to see faces, make tasks easier, and gives you a better feeling of security when outside. 

2. Difficult-to-Climb Fences

Fences are a great detour for burglars, especially if they are hard to climb. Any fence may scare away some thieves, but some fences may actually attract some thieves. Privacy fences, in particular, pose a problem: hidden views. If a criminal does get over the fence, they are fully hidden from anyone outside the property. Plus, inside your house, you won't be able to see them plotting their attack.

If you do need a privacy fence, make sure it's as tall as you can legally build it, so it's harder to climb. You can also use anti-climb features, such as special paint, spikes, spinners, and spiked collars.

However, some fences have their own natural anti-climbing properties. Wrought iron, for example, is hard to climb over because of the vertical pickets and sharp tips. As an added benefit, these fences are too durable for criminals to knock down or pry open.

3. Pebble Décor 

Besides darkness, criminals like silence, so they appreciate quiet ground coverings like grass and mulch. For this reason, many homeowners use pebbles or gravel as part of their landscaping. Not only does it provide a more textured look for your yard, but it creates noise when stepped on. Using pebbles or gravel as walkways is good, but this isn't enough.

Most criminals won't walk up your path and enter the front door. They will look for less-obvious exterior doors and windows. Therefore, use pebbles, gravel, and other noisy ground covers near windows and hidden external doors.

4. A Security System



Finally, a security system is one of the best ways to protect your home from potential burglars. For starters, a sign warning of a security system alone is often enough to send criminals elsewhere to find an easier target. Even if the sign doesn't detour criminals, a camera security system may catch someone checking out your house for a future break-in.

If a criminal tries to get inside the house, the security system's alarm will alert you and the security system provider. At this point, most buglers would just leave so they don't get caught and arrested. Whether the burglar leaves or not, however, if your security system has cameras, they may have caught the person on camera, making it possible to press charges or identify the thief.

Many features scare away criminals, but a security system can actually help catch them in the act or identify the criminal after the fact. If you would like to protect your home as best you can, you might want to consider a security system. For more information, contact us at Coastal Burglar Alarm today.