Martha Entwistle

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Your home is the single most expensive investment you have made in your life and as such it is important that you do all that you can within your power to ensure that it is secure. Discussed herein are a couple of home security tips, as well as alarm monitoring service ideas, which you can apply in your home so as to safeguard it from thieves, trespassers, intruders and burglars amongst other unwanted people.

- Make certain you can view clearly what is taking place outside your house through the windows. In case there are bushes and trees that are preventing you from seeing your front and backyard, you may not be able to see if an intruder is trying to vandalize or break into your property. It is important that you trim all the bushes and trees in your compound so that you can have a clear view.

- Make certain that the doors and windows in your house are robust and that the locks are of high quality. It is always important to keep your house under lock and key whether you are in or not.

- To detect movement outside your house at night, it is vital that you install motion sensors which will immediately switch on the security lights and sound an alarm in some cases.

- Install a wall safe where you can store all the valuables you have in the house. Jewelries and other valuable items should never be left lying anywhere in the house. If you do not have a wall safe then you can use locked drawers. However, it is highly recommended that you invest in a good wall safe that cannot be removed where you can keep all your valuables.

- In case you have cash, jewelry as well as other valuables which you hardly use, then you can keep them in a safety deposit box at the bank.

- If you are planning on going for a vacation, make sure that your home looks occupied. You can make prior arrangements with your neighbor or friends to be collecting your mail and newspaper. In addition, you can invest in a home automation system for lights. This will ensure that lights come on at a certain time and are switched off at a particular time. Hiring a house sitter is also a good option.

- Never keep a spare key to your house under a doormat, over a doorframe, underneath a rock or somewhere near the house where someone can easily guess. Home intruders are familiar with all the likely places you can keep a spare key.

- Join your local neighborhood watch. With this type of arrangement, your neighbors will constantly keep an eye over your house and you’ll do the same in return.

- Contemplate making use of modern home security devices such as hidden surveillance security cameras, door and window alarms amongst others. Your first step towards securing your home entails installing a basic home security system. Alternatively, you can hire the services of a security monitoring company that will immediately notify the police once the alarm in your house goes off.

Source:  http://www.securityworldnews.com

Implementing a few simple things makes the house safe and secure and relieves a lot of tension and worries of the owner.

• The architecture of the house should be designed keeping in mind the safety of the inhabitants. The design should be such that it becomes difficult for miscreants to easily enter the house or to break in very easily.
• The number of openings should be kept to a minimum especially at the ground floor level.
• The doors and windows should be made strong and there should be no compromise on the quality. This would ensure the safety and security by reducing the chances of thieves to break in.
• Care should be taken that the house is made resistant to natural calamities. In times of earthquakes or floods or disastrous storms, the house should be strong and give maximum possible protection to the inhabitants.
• Emergency services like the fire alarms, fire extinguishing systems, and emergency power should always be arranged for the maintenance of safety of a house. With these entire amenities one feels safe and tension free when living in the house.
• In the modern times of trouble it is always advisable to install security cameras in the house. This heightens the security of the house as any abnormal incidents can be spotted then and there and promptly taken action against. Security cameras also help one know beforehand if the person on the other side is good and gives the chance to be alert and inform the security officers.
• The kitchen area should be specially designed with smoke detectors and other such specialized devices. This ensures a safe cooking experience.
• Electric supply cables should be of the best quality and be well away from the reach of any fire.
• The floors should have an even finish and should not be either very slippery or very rough.

Source:  securityworldnews.com

A solid security system, coupled with a security monitoring service will, first of all, act in a psychical way. The simple fact that you show you care for safety will have the thieves think twice before attempting to break in your home. Obviously, no one likes to take risks; therefore an unsecured home is a lot safer to get in than one that’s fit with surveillance cameras for example. For this reason, you can even find fake cameras for sale on the market. No one will ever take risks thinking they might be fooled with dummy cameras

The safety measures you take by getting a security system may look costly, but you will actually win in the long term. The financial aspect is very important for every homeowner. It is definitely worth investing now in a professional and advanced system and winning later. But this isn’t all about protection. Your home insurance will also drop significantly if you have such a system. The insurance costs depend pretty much on the risks and possibilities, whether you want one for your home or your car.

A professional security system will always keep you in touch with an emergency institution, whether you need the firemen, an ambulance or a security company. Such services can also be a little costly, especially if you opt for a private security company. The most recent systems also come with built-in smoke detectors, while a simple button will directly connect you to an emergency institution. Even if you are not home and someone triggers the alarm to your home, the particular institution you decide to go on with will send a crew. This service is costly. Besides that, it is the type of service you hope to never have to use and maybe you won’t. But prevention is always much better than cure, especially when it comes to your safety.

Other than that, the most important reason to get a security system, no matter how advanced it is, is to ensure the safety of your home and family. These are the two priceless things you should see as priorities in your life. When it comes to their safety, nothing is too costly or useless. You have a wide variety of options to choose from. You can start with some basic surveillance cameras and end up with advanced wireless systems the thieves cannot even detect. With the constant evolution of technology, they also try to adapt to the new “trends” and find new and advanced solution to break in, but this shouldn’t discourage you.

Source:  securityworldnews.com

Discussed herein are different methods through which car owners can try and minimize incidences of driveway car thefts.

Tips and guidelines

After pulling up on the driveway, you need to make sure that you have switched off the car and removed the keys from the ignition even if you have to step into the house for a couple of minutes. It is estimated that 20% of cars that are reported to have been stolen had keys in the ignition.

Make sure that when leaving the car that all doors have been locked and the windows pulled up. Most people have the tendency to leave their car doors open if they are in the house. Statistics reveal that 50% of cars that are reportedly stolen had their doors open.

When purchasing a car, you are provided with an extra key that you can utilize should you lose the original. At no time should you be tempted to keep the extra key in the car. Moreover, do not place it in an area where it can easily be located.

While parking your car for the night, ensure that it has been parked in an area that is well lit. This will discourage would be car thief from nearing your car.

When parking at the shopping mall, make sure that your car has been parked in an area that is attended. Thieves do not like to be spotted while in action.

If you have to stop at the gas station or at the ATM machine, ensure that you have switched off the engine. In addition, if you have to warm the engine before leaving the house, make sure that there is someone in the car. During the winter season, most cars are usually stolen as the owners often leave the engine running as the car warms up.

Thieves are always tempted with what they can see in open view. As such, you need to leave no chance that will give the automobile thief a chance to steal your car. Furthermore, there are car security systems, e.g. alarms that are designed to alert you should someone try to break in your car. Other than the alarm system, there is the fuel cut and floorboard lock.

It is upon the car owner to take all the necessary steps that are predisposed to them to ensure that their car is safe.

Source:  securityworldnews.com

(Newark, NJ, February 5, 2009) A comprehensive study of five years of statistics by researchers at the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice (SCJ) in Newark found that residential burglar alarm systems decrease crime. While other studies have concluded that most burglars avoid alarm systems, this is the first study to focus on alarm systems while scientifically ruling out other factors that could have impacted the crime rate.
Researchers concentrated on analyzing crime data provided by the Newark Police Department. “Data showed that a steady decrease in burglaries in Newark between 2001 and 2005 coincided with an increase in the number of registered home burglar alarms,” said study author Dr. Seungmug (a.k.a. Zech) Lee, who received his doctoral degree from SCJ in 2008 and presently teaches at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. “The study credits the alarms with the decrease in burglaries and the city’s overall crime rate.”
In short, the study found that an installed burglar alarm makes a dwelling less attractive to the would-be and active intruders and protects the home without displacing burglaries to nearby homes.
The study also concluded that the deterrent effect of alarms is felt in the community at large. “Neighborhoods in which burglar alarms were densely installed have fewer incidents of residential burglaries than the neighborhoods with fewer burglar alarms,” the study noted.
The study was conducted with the cooperation of the Newark Police Department and reviewed five years of police data. The more than 300-page study was conducted over a two-year period and funded by the non-profit Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation (AIREF). SCJ Professors George L. Kelling, Marcus Felson and
Ronald V. Clarke and Professor Robert D. McCrie of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York were members of the study’s Faculty Advisory Committee. Dr. Clarke served as committee chair.
“This type of study assists police departments to effectively deploy their limited resources,” said Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy. “The School of Criminal Justice provides valuable insight into the positive impact alarm systems can have in preventing residential burglaries.”
“This is the most comprehensive study of its kind that has ever been conducted,” said Dr. Lee. “By using sophisticated in-depth research techniques, we were able to eliminate the variables that impact crime rates and focus directly on the impact alarm systems have on residential burglaries.”
The study noted that “technology innovations” have increased the availability of home security systems to middle-class homeowners and that technology has made the systems more dependable. “Computers, printed circuits, digital communicators, and microprocessors have refined monitoring and signaling technology, and modern electronic sensors now include ultrasonic, infrared and microwave devices which were formerly available only in more sophisticated commercial and industrial applications,” said Dr. Lee.
Researchers also pointed to an earlier study based on interviews with burglars (“Burglars on the Job 1994,” Northeastern University Press) to support their conclusions. That study concluded, “Most offenders, though, wanted to avoid alarms altogether and, upon encountering such devices, abandoned all thought of attacking the dwelling.”

C.O.P.S. Monitoring actively distributes alarm traffic between its four 24/7 interconnected central stations in New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, and Tennessee. When conditions affect one central station, C.O.P.S. compensates for the increased alarm traffic and staffing complications by overstaffing their other strategically located UL-Listed facilities. By leveraging their resources in this way, C.O.P.S. helps to ensure consistently high quality response times even during the worst conditions.

McMullen also hinted that this would not be the last central added to the COPS Network, which also includes 24/7 UL-Listed central stations in New Jersey, Florida, and Arizona. Today, each central station is actively load-sharing – which means that every dispatcher contributes by handling alarm traffic for the entire company – thus improving its overall quality of service and response time.

All of the dispatchers at the COPS Monitoring’s Nashville central station are CSAA Five Diamond Certified. COPS also has plans to have the central station Five Diamond Certified upon the completion of the UL-Listing of their Nashville site.

“In addition to the ability to monitor our alarm dealers’ alarms from any of our strategically located central stations, we can also process signals from our mainframes located at the SuperNAP,” stated Jim McMullen, president and COO of COPS Monitoring. “We’re sparing no expense when it comes to our ability to provide essential monitoring services. The great thing is that all of our alarm dealers, regardless of size, benefit from our mission to be the most consistent and reliable service provider in the industry.”

Link: http://copsmonitoring.com/pressreleases/20101207lvdatacenter.html