The best self-defense strategy is to keep unwanted visitors as far away as possible from your home. Surveillance is your first line of defense. Knowing when someone is in the area and who they are is invaluable. You do not want to be taken unawares.
This final chapter features five items that can prevent intruders from entering your property.
ITEM #51 – SECURITY CAMERAS & LIGHTING
A home security system is now inexpensive enough to be well within the reach of most. We wanted one, too. The cost of a remote control security system is outrageous, so we decided to build our own.
Exterior lighting allows us to see what is happening on our property, it can also help us feel reassured when returning to our home. A system of security cameras allows you to see exactly what is happening on your property, and gives you the added benefit of being able to extend your range of vision beyond fences and trees etc, to further afield.
Of course, the big problem of such a system is that it is dependent on the power supply. Nevertheless, many people still believe it is something worth investing in.
ITEM #52 – BARBED WIRE
From the high-tech and expensive, to a very cheap option. Even when the power is out, barbed wire will help intruders think twice. A bale of barbed wire can be bought for only around $100, but it does the job. In the First World War, barbed wire kept the biggest armies in the world at bay and it hasn't lost any of its effectiveness.
ITEM #53 – SECURE DOORS
If intruders make it onto your property, they will be assessing the two points of weakness on your home – doors and windows. If you can make sure these look well-defended, the chances are the intruders will move on and look for easier pickings.
There are a number of steps you can take to make your doors more secure. Firstly, you can replace any hollow-core doors with solid-cores. You should also ensure that all exterior doors open inwards to prevent would-be intruders from simply removing the hinge-pin. An important step to securing your doorways is to replace all your locks with standard or vertical deadbolts.
ITEM #54 – STRIKE-PLATES
To prevent your doors from simply being kicked down, you will need to install strike-plates. A heavy-metal strike plate should be installed on all exterior doors with extra-long screws. Rather than installing a plate, you may want to use a product called Bar-ricade. It is essentially the same idea and same outcome, but rather than a plate it employs a metal bar mounted to the inside of your door frame, again using long screws.
ITEM #55 – SECURE WINDOWS
The weakest part of your home are your windows. There are many security windows available on the market, but they can be expensive. There are also a number of products that offer a cheaper alternative. Security window film is great for protecting your windows against storm and earthquake damage and, of course, makes it much more difficult for them to be smashed in by hostile individuals.