Crime Prevention Tip of the Month
Your Security Strategy
June 2004
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Dear Reader,
 Welcome
to the Crime Prevention Tip of the Month. I am a working Police Officer
with 30 years experience with a major North American Police Service.
My involvement in Crime Prevention has spanned 9 years, and my specialty
lies with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). In my
position, I consult with homeowners, businesses and developers in their
attempt to "design out" crime.
I am a strong believer in the use of visual and physical deterrents
(such as window bars) to raise
the level of a premise's protection.
Tip of the Month
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Do not put all your security eggs in one basket!
By this I mean don't depend on an alarm system alone to protect your
home or business. Remember, the people who sell these systems are in
the business of making money and make money they do. They lead you to
believe that all you have to do is have them install their alarm in your
home and all your security problems are gone. They even refer to them
as "security systems". Nonsense. An alarm is only one component
of a "security strategy" and is relatively useless on its own.
Alarms do not physically protect your premises. People with alarms installed
get broken into with the same frequency as people who do not have alarms
installed. If the alarm is monitored, it functions only as an alerting
device. If it isn't monitored, it just makes a lot of noise. Either way,
thieves know there is time to get what they're looking for.
Make the alarm the last security device you install. Ensure you have
adequate deadbolts on your doors and that you have installed a "doorframe
reinforcing plate" on your doorframe at the point where your deadbolt
enters the frame. Also, install an "escutcheon plate" on your
door deadbolt. (I'll talk more about these items next month.) Secure
all windows: install bars in appropriate locations and use "security
film" on larger windows. Walk around the structure and make sure
the place is secure. Only then should you consider an alarm.
If you do have an alarm system installed, remember to set it every time
you leave the house, as well as at night. Many of us don't, either because
it's too much trouble or we're worried about costly false alarms. The
result is that you end up paying a lot of money for the alarm company
sign in front of your house. You'd be better off joining a community
watch program and displaying their stickers and signs to warn potential
thieves that your neighbors are watching your home. They're a built-in
alerting system - and they're free!
Click here to view available Goodbar
products
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Can We Help?
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