10 tips to ensure the safety of apartments and houses: ways to protect against thieves

Every year, tens of thousands of thefts occur in the country. Statistics show that attackers get into the apartment in most cases by breaking the lock or by key selection, another popular way is through windows, windows and balconies, less often they use rough methods of breaking the door. The professionalism and resourcefulness of criminals is growing every day, and the number of thefts increases during the holidays and school holidays. This is not a summary of criminal news and not an attempt to intimidate someone. We all know that forewarned means armed, therefore the most popular methods of apartment thefts allow us to build the most effective strategy for protecting our own homes and improve the security of our apartments and houses. Consider the most effective ways to protect against theft, but looking ahead, we note that it is better to use several methods in combination.

No. 1. Protection of the entrance to the apartment

The most common way for intruders to enter an apartment is through the front door. Yes, resistant doors and locks are not cheap, but such a purchase is clearly better than what can happen if you save and buy a flimsy door with a standard lock. We note right away that there are no doors and locks that are 100% protected - our the main task is to install such a system, the opening of which the attacker will take maximum time. A thief may give up quickly, at the risk of being caught, or he will be caught red-handed.

Entrance door protection consists of two main methods:

• door leaf protection from knocking out, opening grinder and other vandal methods of entering the apartment;
• selection of reliable locks that could not be opened with master keys and other tools.

No. 2. Choosing a reliable door

The first thing to get on the way to improving the security of the apartment is secure door. The best way - the door is made of steel, but in order to make it really difficult to break, deform or cut, you need to pay attention to a number of parameters:

• the more steel sheet thicknessthe higher their strength. For installation in an apartment building, a door with a sheet thickness of 2-3 mm is suitable, but for country houses it is better to take an even more reliable door with a sheet thickness of 3 mm;
• steel can be either only the external part (the internal part is made of MDF or other materials), or the external and internal simultaneously. The second option is more expensive, but better in terms of security. The outer steel plate must be monolithic. Can meet the door with additional steel sheet between internal and external - this is an ideal from the point of view of burglary resistance;
• door frame It is made from a profile pipe by welding. The fewer pipe segments present and the fewer welds made, the more durable the frame will be. It is optimal for it to be made from one long section of pipe with one seam;
• castle area the most vulnerable, therefore it is better if it is covered with an armor plate or an additional sheet of steel;
• stiffening ribthat are inside the door should be evenly spaced;
• the simplest outer hinges easily cut by intruders, so it’s better to take the door with deadboltswhich, when closing the door, enter the holes in the wall and resist breaking. Alternative option - inner loopswhich cannot be cut;
• all steel entrance doors are divided into safety classes 1 to 7, in residential apartments and houses use the doors of the first four classes. The higher the class, the harder it is to break open the door, and the more time it takes to try to do it.

It is better to install the door so that it opens outwards - it will be harder to knock it out. It is advisable to strengthen the door frame with steel angles or metal pins concreted in the ceiling, walls and floor. Another trick is to make an imitation alarmwhich will scare away some thieves. It is enough to attach a sensor at the top of the door and draw a wire from it to the junction box, you do not need to connect anything. The same effect can be achieved by simulating the presence of a surveillance camera.

No. 3. Choose a reliable lock

The door is only half the battle. Even the strongest blade will not help if the lock can be opened with a simple master key. For those who live in an apartment building, a tricky lock is even more important than a durable door leaf, since few will decide to work as a grinder or sledgehammer. There are no locks that cannot be opened, so you should choose those for opening which the thief will take a maximum of time. Based on this rule, on the front door it is better to install two locks with different mechanisms. The longer the thief opens the locks, the greater the likelihood that someone will notice him, or that he will surrender on his own.

Today, the entrance doors are installed such types of locks:

• lever locks are considered the most reliable and burglar resistant. It is better to take a lock for 6 or more suvald and prefer a structure protected by a manganese overlay. It will be difficult to drill such a lock, and it is practically impossible to open the master key. The best option for a level lock is a crab design, when the crossbars are extended in different directions (into a wall, floor or ceiling);
• cylinder locks cheaper than leverage, and if the key is lost, the cylinder is easy to replace without resorting to replacing the entire lock. The reverse side of the coin is simplicity for breaking, therefore it is better to take a lock with 4-5 crossbars, protect it with an armor plate and use it together with a level plate;
• electronic lock can also pair up with leverage. The fact is that some attackers pour acid into the key hole, which corrodes the metal of the lock. Electronic locks do not have openings on the outside, they can be opened by code, fingerprint or using an electronic key, and to break them you must have remarkable intellectual abilities and a set of specific tools;
• monoblocks or combination locks immediately combine two mechanisms of a different type. At a price, such systems come out cheaper than two separate locks, and when using a dependent lock system, the door's burglar resistance is increased. Minus - a small distance between the crossbars of two locks.

Apartment security experts also recommend using the inside of the door the chain. Will give additional protection bolt. The pupil on the door is also important, because it allows you to see what is happening on the landing.

To be as confident as possible in your safety, select keyhole lock from foreign objects. Even the most complex lock can be put out of action by clogging it with small debris, while it will be easy to open the door in the simplest ways.

Number 4. Alarm for apartment and home

Alarms are usually installed as a complement to other security systems.This is one of the best ways to ensure the inviolability of your home, but here it is not so simple, because the alarm system must be smart enough and reliable so that the attacker does not know how to get it out of action.

Experts advise taking entire alarm systems and not limited to the sensor on the front door. To protect your home in full, it is better to put lock and door hacking detectors, glass break detector and motion sensors. Place them on windows, doors, bars, walls and furniture.

Sensors detect movement or entry into a home in many ways and are divided into infrared, microwave, seismic, acoustic, television and complex. The latter, of course, are the best.

When activated, the alarm can issue loud noise, scaring away thieves and drawing attention to the apartment - this is the simplest option. There are systems auto dialed alarmswhen the owner of the apartment receives a notification on the phone, but the best and at the same time the most expensive option of alarm is remotewhen the signal goes to a private or public security company. In this case, its employees arrive at the site within a few minutes. You will have to pay for such an alarm not only during installation, but also to pay for the services of a security company every month.

No. 5. CCTV

CCTV cameras can not be called an independent way to ensure the security of the apartment. Rather, it is one of the most effective ways to increase this security.

CCTV Cameras can have various characteristicstransmit analog or digital images, have a different viewing angle, infrared illumination, some can even be rotated independently. In general, you can choose an option for any budget and with any necessary set of features, and in the security system at home, the following tasks are assigned to the camera:

• scare off an attacker. Seeing the camera in front of the front door, the thief may be afraid to commit a crime;
• crime fixation and help finding a thief is a direct feature of the camera. To cope with this task, the camera, on the contrary, should not be evident.

No. 6. Window Security

Windows are among the most vulnerable places in an apartment, but, unlike a door, you cannot close them with a thick monolithic sheet of steel. About Enhancing Security window constructions it is worth considering in such cases:

• the apartment is located on the first, second or last floor;
• the apartment is adjacent to the shared balcony;
• near the windows of the apartment there is a tree, a fire escape, a chimney, a roof of an adjoining building;
• windows open onto an unglazed balcony or loggia.

There are several options to protect the window:

• install grill;
• put shutters;
• make reservations for windows and frames;
• use protective fittings.

Lattices - the easiest, most affordable and most reliable way protect the window opening. Show themselves best stationary gratings with a large penetration of reinforcement into the walls and a rod thickness of 12-15 mm. The reverse side of reliability and burglar resistance is the inability to get out of the apartment in case of fire. As a compromise use removable grilles, which are inferior in terms of reliability, but in which case they can be dismantled to get out of the apartment. Swing grilles and curtain grillesrather, they create the appearance of security than real security. However, they can also be used if installed inside the apartment, and put an alarm on the window. When an attacker breaks a window, an alarm will sound and he will have a minimum of time. In such conditions, even the simplest grating will become a serious obstacle.

Durable steel roller shutters able to reliably protect the windows of a country house and actually serve as an analog of gratings, however, when buying it is worth choosing special burglar-resistant models.Their main advantage is the provision of the possibility of evacuation through the window in the event of a fire, but in ordinary city apartments in our country, few people install shutters.

A great option for an apartment in a multi-storey building is glass booking by covering them from the inside special film. Transparency practically does not change, but the glass becomes resistant to shocks, will not break into small fragments, withstand the shock wave from an explosion and will withstand Molotov cocktails. Just brick or with a hammer such a glass will be very difficult to break. Depending on the film protection class, the window withstands a different number of strokes. A film of class B1 ensures integrity to the glass at 50 strokes of a hammer or an ax, film B2 can withstand up to 70 strokes, B3 - and even more. Even if the glass is broken, the film retains its integrity and will to some extent prevent penetration. In addition, manufacturers today offer armored glass for double-glazed windows - they will not have to be improved.

In addition to armored glass, you can install armored frame with steel plates. Pads are installed at the junction of glass to the frame, the most vulnerable area of ​​the window structure.

To guarantee the window can be protected burglar-proof hardwarewhich includes special loops locks and other elements. Accessories of the protection class WK1 provide resistance to attempts of manual breaking without special tools, accessories WK2 withstand the impact of pliers or screwdriver, and WK3 will protect against breaking with a crowbar or mount.

If the window is clearly visible from the outside, then in the evening it is better to close it curtains, since the less information an attacker receives about an apartment, the better.

Number 7. We put a safe

It is better to store the most valuable things not in mattresses and not among books - these are places that thieves know well. In case the attacker overcomes all obstacles, money, jewelry, securities and other important expensive things, he will not be able to take, since there will be another obstacle ahead - a safe.

Safe selection - a whole science, which provides for the observance of a number of rules:

• burglar resistance class, from 0 to 12, depends on the design of the safe and the locks used. For the home, models 3-4 classes and 5-6 classes are suitable if you plan to store something very valuable;
• installation reliability no less important than the design of the safe. If the mount is weak, the attacker may take the safe with him;
• safes can be freestanding and recessed, and they hide them in the walls and furniture, deftly masking. Experts recommend placing the safe away from the front door, and as a bait, you can put another safe in a conspicuous place with a low level of protection and a minimum amount of money inside.

Number 8. Home lighting simulation

Experienced thieves observe the apartment for a long time to make sure that the owners are away. If the apartment doesn’t have lights on in the evenings, and the press has gathered in a drawer, then this is a sure sign to begin actions. Correspondence can be entrusted to pick up trusted neighbors. They sometimes can go into the apartment to water the flowers, and by opening the door, they will allow you to get rid of the so-called marks that thieves leave.

FROM lighting everything is much more complicated. The easiest option is to leave the light on in one of the rooms, but it’s much better to spend money on smart system with a timer. It will allow the night to alternately turn on the lighting in different rooms, thereby simulating the real movement of households.

No. 9. Securing a private home

Securing a detached house is more difficult than an apartment in an apartment building. Here, of course, all of the above tools work, but they should not be limited. To increase the security of a private house, it is worth taking a set of additional measures:

• good lighting of the whole plot in front of the house.Some light sources should be equipped with motion sensors. When the attacker steps onto the site, a light will suddenly light up, which will give him out. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that there is a maximum distance between the closest possible hiding place of the attacker and the house;
• the alarm of a country house should have an alternative source of power in case the attackers de-energize the home;
• tall fence and reliable gates will become another barrier to the house;
• the easiest and most proven way to warn hosts about the appearance of guests is dogs. This method is also applicable to urban apartments. Dogs, firstly, will love the owners, and secondly, to protect them, and thirdly, due to the subtle sense of smell and hearing, to warn about approaching the house of guests.

No. 10. How else can I protect the apartment?

To protect the apartment and the valuables stored in it from intruders, it does not bother to follow these simple rules:

• Do not leave the door to the staircase open and install the intercom;
• keep strangers out of the apartment;
• at nightfall, draw curtains if the windows are well peered from the street;
• children need to be told that strangers cannot be opened, talking on the phone and answering strangers' questions is also not worth it. By the way, it is better for kids not to tell where valuable things are stored in the apartment;
• when the keys disappear, it is better to immediately change the locks;
• good relations with neighbors - a bonus to apartment safety;
• commonplace, but important - even the most secure windows and doors at the exit must be firmly closed. Often in a hurry we forget to do it;
• for those who are very worried about what they have acquired, along with the alarm system they recommend using another reliable tool - property insurance.

A large percentage of apartment thefts are carried out on a tip, so it is unnecessary to chat on all sides about large expensive purchases or the upcoming long departure. It is worth storing valuables if not in a safe, then in a bank cell, at least for the time of departure, since all seemingly tricky and unpredictable places in an apartment where expensive things are usually hidden, thieves are well aware.