Are You Missing The Four Keys To Effective Home Security?

Details: Category: Community News; Published on Monday, 19 April 2010 10:13; Written by Peter L. Brotsis, V.P. Protective Services, Secure Protection

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Home security consists of four key elements working together to accomplish the desired result— effective security. Missing any of these key elements can invite an attempted break-in, or result in burglary of a home.

1 Deterrence

The first step in making a home more secure involves incorporating elements which make it less attractive to burglars. A burglar is attracted to homes that appear to be easy targets, providing the type of environment for an easy and low risk break-in.

Below are some elements which act as deterrents to criminals looking for easy targets:

• ‑Locked gates, tall walls or fences surrounding a home.

• ‑Steel security exterior doors and decorative grills or bars on windows.

• ‑Trimmed bushes and trees which do not conceal doors and windows.

• ‑Warning signs: Alarm system, Armed response, Beware of Dog.

• ‑Good locks on doors and windows.

• ‑Good lighting around the home’s perimeter.

• ‑Homes providing a “lived in” appearance.

The following are target signals to a burglar:

• ‑A front yard with bushes and/or trees concealing doors and windows.

• ‑Piled up newspapers.

• ‑A stuffed mailbox.

• ‑Poor or no lighting.

• ‑Exterior lights left on during the day.

• ‑Garage doors left open.

• ‑Front lawns strewn with toys or other objects.

• ‑No warning signs.

• ‑Homes having an uninhabited appearance.

• ‑No interior or exterior lights left on at night.

The remaining 3 keys to effective security relate to homeowners who already have, or, are considering installing an alarm system or camera surveillance system.

2 Detection

Home perimeters and interiors need to be protected. If you’ve done as much as possible to make your home unattractive to burglars and they still decide to break in, it’s now up to a security system to detect them.

The most effective security system combines both perimeter protection and area surveillance.

Perimeter protection means that exterior doors and windows are monitored by a sensor (usually a magnetic switch, glass breakage or vibration detector). Perimeter protection can also consist of alarm screens on windows and the use of sensors on the exterior of a home which pick up body heat, motion or both. These sensors can be used with lighting and cameras which can also be part of an alarm system or video surveillance system.

Area surveillance protection means that specific areas of a home (i.e. bedroom, hallway, living room, etc.) are monitored by sensing devices which pick up body heat, motion or both. A motion activated video surveillance system, which can be accessed over the internet, can also be used in the interior/exterior of a home for area surveillance.

3 Notification

Private security and/or the police need to be notified. The next key in the security process is notification that an intrusion has occurred. This typically takes the form of an alarm signal sent to a private central monitoring station. Depending on how the system was configured and programmed, the point of entry can be identified and transmitted to a central monitoring station.

The rapid advancement in video technologies has now enabled notification of an intrusion to a homeowner by way of an email or text message to a person’s cell phone or computer, from anywhere in the world.

A central monitoring station is a critical and integral part of making a home more secure. It receives the essential notification that an alarm activation has occurred. A central monitoring station also notifies the appropriate authorities when the panic/duress, police, fire department or medical buttons of an alarm system are activated.

4 Response

Private security and/or police response is essential to the process. The final key in the security process is alarm response. A monitored alarm system is only as good as the alarm response resulting from its activation. Alarm response will take the form of law enforcement, private security, or, both, responding to a burglar alarm call. Depending on where you live, many law enforcement agencies classify unverified (no eyewitness to an actual crime taking place) burglar alarm activations as low priority, often resulting in a delayed (hours) or no-show response. This is understandable, considering that law enforcement must respond to far more calls, many of which are more serious in nature.

Security companies offer different forms of alarm response with armed or un-armed officers and level of investigation at the site of the alarm activation. A professionally trained alarm response officer, who does a thorough perimeter check for signs of a break-in can provide a more accurate assessment of an alarm activation than an officer that does a drive-by (only checks the front of a home from the street, does not exit their vehicle and does not perform a perimeter check for signs of intrusion). Drive-by alarm response is basically worthless, since it leaves the most critical areas of a home un-checked, while eliminating the alarm response officer’s ability to verify that an actual crime is, has, or, hasn’t taken place.

In many SoCal communities, private alarm response is faster and more reliable in responding to unverified burglar alarm calls than law enforcement. However, this is not necessarily the case when a panic/duress signal is transmitted and police respond much quicker, because it’s a higher priority call.

It’s highly recommended that every homeowner or renter reading this article review their own security and see how closely it matches “The Four Keys To Effective Security”. And while you’re at it, call Secure Protection now for a FREE, $100 value Home Security Analysis, even if you have an alarm system.

About SECURE PROTECTION

Secure Protection is a One Stop Security Solution Provider for homeowners, businesses and industry. In addition to providing the most effective type of alarm response available, Secure Protection can provide the latest in security technologies for all your security needs. You can contact Peter at Secure Protection at: 877-252-7638 extension 163, or email him at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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