Security Measures
"The objective of the exercise is to make our unwanted guest feel exposed and vulnerable when he approaches your property. Low fencing and low hedges can help, as can high transparent fencing. External lighting has much the same effect. As it activates the burglar is suddenly surrounded in bright light and totally visible. Police Officers particularly like security lighting as it exposes the thief and aids the officer in searching your property."
There are several types of external lighting:
Floodlights - these lights have an integral sensor that detects a person approaching and automatically operates a high powered floodlight. This type of light is quite inexpensive and relatively easy to fit. It can be quite nice to be greeted by a bright light if you have to go out in the garden, but thieves hate it!
Low Wattage Lights - if you prefer external lighting that comes on at sunset and continues switched on until the dawn there are types of external lighting that use photocell darkness detector units that can operate any number or style of light. Low wattage economy lights can then be utilised that use less than 1p per night in electricity.
Control Timers - there are units available with a digital display or clock that allow you to operate external lighting automatically at any given time.
Doors
There is little point in spending good money on excellent locks only to have the thief kick a hole in a 'balsa wood' door! If in doubt about the strength of your doors and frames get a builder or joiner in to assess their suitability. Modifications to strengthen weak door panels need not be expensive, for example screwing on a piece of ½ " exterior grade plywood and painting it the same colour as your door will make it much harder to force.
