How Secure is Your Neighborhood?

Before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on a new home security system, it's a good idea to find out how secure your neighborhood is. Or to put it in blunt terms, find out how many crimes are being committed where you live. This information can have a big impact on what steps you take on the home security front.

This may sound like information you can't get without going door-to-door and interviewing everyone within a four-block radius. Have you been robbed in the last year? Has anyone broken into your car? Has anyone stolen mail from your mailbox? It sounds like a pain, doesn't it?

Fortunately, you don't have to do this. Chances are the police station has this information already. As you might or might not have suspected, most police agencies keep detailed statistics of these things. They have records of crimes committed, and can often narrow down the statistics to the block level.

As a resident, you're entitled to this information.

So, head down to your local police station (the one closest to your home), and ask to talk to the public affairs officer (or whoever is in charge of public relations). Request the crime statistics for your neighborhood. You might not get a list of who committed the crime, but you should be able to get information on how many break-ins, auto thefts, rapes, etc. have taken place over the last few years. Sometimes the records go back for decades.

This is the best way to find out how safe your neighborhood is. Do remember that the crimes that have been committed on your street in the past aren't always perfect indicators of what will happen in the future. Just because no one has been robbed on your street this year doesn't mean someone won't be burglarized tomorrow. However, if there have been a lot of crimes committed in the past, this is a pretty good indicator that a similar trend will continue.

If there have been quite a few home break-ins in your area, you may want to consider an aggressive home security plan, such as a whole home security system that can protect your house and your family by sending the police if someone tries to get in. On the other hand, if there hasn't been a break-in for years, you may feel safe with a less aggressive approach. Maybe you'll feel it's enough to install common sense home security items (i.e. replacing weak door and window locks) and adopt good security practices (i.e. don't leave doors unlocked, don't leave garages doors up, and don't leave tools in the yard burglars could use to break in, etc.).

Remember, the first step to protecting yourself and your family is to find out how secure your neighborhood is.

How Safe Is Your Gun? A 12 Year Old Can Open Most Gun Safes.

A safe is essential if you have a gun at home. It is also essential that your safe is easy for you to use but difficult to access without your authorization.

Safes are made from tough, heavy gauge steel, typically half an inch thick. The safe may have two sheets of hard steel, with ball bearings sandwiched between the two layers. The ball bearings make drilling through the door or sides very difficult.

The door and lock are inherently the weakest points of any safe. Locking the safe door should operate hardened steel or titanium bolts on all four sides. Hinges are internal so that they do not present a weakness to an intruder.

Locks may be key, combination or fingerprint operated. The best safes have combinations of different types of lock and time delays before a lock will open.

Key locks can be picked, even the most complex key operated lock can be picked by an expert. An expert can find a combination code on a rotary combination dials fairly easily. A keypad combination is the best if you have a combination lock. There are no moving parts to go wrong, or to give clues to a safe cracker who is listening to the lock as he or she operates it.

It is important to keep the keypad clean. Dirty or clean keys give clues to anyone trying to get into your safe. Make sure the combination you choose bears no relationship to phone numbers, birth dates or any other data that can be guessed.

The best option is a fingerprint-operated lock. Then you can have absolute confidence that while your fingers are attached to your body that nobody will be able to open your safe without your knowledge.

A fingerprint operated lock combined with a keypad combination lock, or a second fingerprint operated lock set up for a second person provides the best security for guns or valuables

Fire protection is usually built into home safes, with layers of insulating material and expanding door seals that exclude oxygen and prevent combustion of the safe contents.

Choose The Right Burglar Alarm System

Security has now become a primary concern among people, especially for those who belong to the middle class and higher earning brackets. Everything needs to be protected since nobody can really be sure about his or her safety much less that of his or her own most prized possessions and properties. This need for safety does not only pertain to individuals alone. Corporations and business market players have also began to look into security as among its top concerns.

And to attend to such concerns and problems, Burglar alarm systems are now here to combat safety problems. These alarm systems serve as ever watchful eyes making sure that our houses and most important possessions are safely monitored even in our absence. It also serves as businesses’ watchmen on call 24/7.

Burglar alarm systems can be used for differing purposes. However, its main uses are as residential alarm systems or as commercial alarm systems. Each type differs from functionality and varies in accordance to the situations they are presumed to be valuable and useful.

The main intention of residential alarm systems is to provide home-owners with the much need security whether they are or they are not within the comfort of their homes. Burglar alarm systems for residential purposes are usually set up on the house entrance and the gates for unwanted visitors. Initially, it helps prevent people from getting into somebody else’s property without permission. At times, access codes may be required and failure in attempt would definitely spell trouble for the guest.

On the other hand, commercial burglar alarm systems are also being used to mainly prevent access of potential thieves. However, this particular system is a bit more complicated than residential types. Commercial types of burglar alarm systems do not only prevent thieves from entering into confidential premises but it also disenables that person to get out of a certain trap. Some types would enclose potential thieves until authorities arrive and verify the presence of the person within the place. This kind of burglar alarm system also triggers different authorities to immediately respond when the alarm fires off. You can perceive of it as a shield and a trap all in one system.

As you can see, burglar alarm systems are not just mediums for safety assurance. They also come in certain specializations to be able to suit differing needs of different people and different professions. As diverse these systems prove to be nowadays, take advantage of this opportunity and choose the right one which would fit your safety needs rather perfectly. After all, safety should never be compromised. Only the best should be considered when safety concerns are placed on the line.

Modern Security Systems - Indispensable Means for Ensuring Privacy and Safety

In present, reliable security systems are the best means to deal with a wide range of safety and privacy issues. When it comes to protecting assets and valuables, as long as to maintaining privacy, security systems are the most effective option for both homeowners and company leaders. The ideal solution for securing and protecting private residences or public institutions, stores, hotels, clubs and various other public places, modern security systems are highly requested in present. While security systems were considered to be a luxury in recent past, nowadays they are regarded as a basic and indispensable means of ensuring safety and privacy in various public or private environments. Thanks to the advanced technology available today, security systems are now more reliable, more effective and more affordable than ever! In addition, security systems are easy to use and require little maintenance, rendering such safety equipments suitable for anyone, regardless of professional training. Thanks to the benefits provided by modern security systems, more and more homeowners worldwide have recently decided to equip their homes with the latest alarm and surveillance systems. Homes without a compact, reliable security system are considered to be an easy target for burglars, as most safety equipments that provided protection for one’s residence in the past are nowadays obsolete, failing to prevent break-ins and thefts. Compared to traditional home safety measures, modern home security systems are by far the best means to prevent break-ins, rendering even the most experienced burglars unable to complete their job. Even if robbers manage to breach inside a residence equipped with a home security system, they will immediately trigger the alarm, alerting the local security stations and the police. Everyone has the right to feel safe in his own house! However, the only way to actually achieve this nowadays is to have a proper home security system installed. Statistics indicate that more than 65 percent of all annual burglary cases take place at private residences. Most of these burglaries actually occur while the owners are at home, exposing them and their families to a serious threat. The only way to discourage and successfully prevent a break-in is to equip your personal residence with a modern home security system. Recent studies have revealed that the houses equipped with home security systems are three times less likely to become the target of burglaries than the ones without. The best means to keep intruders away from your home, family and personal assets is to have your private residence equipped with a modern security system. Home security systems come in various shapes and sizes, fulfilling a wide variety of roles, from surveillance and monitoring of your personal property to signaling the police in case of a break-in. When you decide to purchase and have a home security system or a residential alarm system installed to your house, all you have to do is choose the equipment that best satisfies your needs. Make sure that you receive reliable and professional products and carefully analyze the costs before you decide to purchase a home security system. Once your house is equipped with a modern security system, you can rest assured that your family and valuable assets are completely safe and secure.

Home Security: Options To Consider

Today, there is a large, very important need for home security. There seems to be no limit to what the ‘bad guy’ can accomplish. They can come in when you are right there sleeping. They can monitor your home in ways in which you will simply never be able to tell. And, they can provide you with a terrifying approach to life each and every day after they have attacked you. By using effective home security, you can really cut down on the times and the abilities of these things happening to you. Home security is quite versatile. There is something out there for everyone on any budget. In fact, simply putting a home security tag in your window from a company can be a deterrent for robberies itself. Nonetheless, there are many things to consider. First, consider probably the best option and that is monitoring systems that work to monitor the home when you are not there. Should something trigger it, it will react and someone can see just what is happening or can send someone down to look at it. Other options in home security including home alarms that when triggered can call police or emergency services. You can also use a variety of locks that cannot be broken into as well. There are so many ways in which you can effectively protect your home that there is no reason not to. When it comes to protecting your family and your home, nothing should stand in your way. You need to safeguard all aspects of that home so that you can sleep easy every night knowing that someone or something is out there looking out for you. And, when you are away from your home, you need to know that it and all of your possessions are safe as well. Home security can do these things for you.