Top 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Home Burglary
Tips for deterring burglars from entering your home and also stopping them from getting past its exterior if they try to force their way inside your home include: install a home security system with a loud alarm, install glass-breakage detectors on windows that will set off your alarm system; use home security doors with heavy-duty deadbolt locks and a strong strike plate; use infred motion detectors to pick up a burglars movement inside your home and set off your alarm system; install a home surveillance ssytem that uses both visible and hidden security cameras to monitor a burglar (good for providing to police afterwards); use alarm monitoring to connect your system to a central monitoring centers and alerts authoriites when your system is breeched; put up yard signs and window decals to let burglars know your home is protected with a monitored alarm system; install heavy curtains on your windows that conceal your possessions from burglars trying to look inside your home; and finally, participating in a neighborhood watch program is a good way to deter burglars and is helpful in getting neighbors to watch your home when you're away.

Home Security Tips from a Former Burglar
This article from Reader's Digest magazine details burglary tricks of the trade straight from the mouth of a former burglar. The writer says that he is often invited in and has probably met you last week when he came to your door offering to patch your roof or clear your gutters, and it didn't take him long to see where you keep your keys. Three times out of 10 he gets in through an unlocked door or open window. He recommends gravel drives so that you hear him coming a mile off. He also says that neighborhood watch stickers work, as do signs saying that your property is marked. A sign saying Beware of Dog is also effective. He offers that you shouldn't allow graffiti on your gate, as it suggests you're vulnerable. The most salient point, perhaps, is that your privacy is his perfect opportunity. Trees, high fences and a solid gate protect him from being seen when he gets inside. A good way to keep him out is with security lights and wrought iron gates. Finally, he's familiar with fake soup cans and other secret hiding places. He recommends that if you want to keep you money safe, keep it in a bank.

Crime Doctor's Burglary Prevention Page
This site is written by Chris E. McGoey, also know as The Crime Doctor. Mr. McGoey begins his article by asking: Are you really safe once you get home and lock your door? Your home should be your castle, but is it? According to McGoey, burglary is the most common threat to your home. He quotes F.B.I. statistics as saying that a burglary occurs every 15.4 seconds in the U.S. The majority of burglaries occur during the daytime, when people are at school or away at work. The summer months have the most burglaries and February has the fewest. The majority of burglaries are committed by males under 25 years of age who are looking for small items that are easily converted into cash. How can you protect yourself and your family from this terrible crime? Start by getting good locks. This means dead bolts for all outside doors. Use a wide angle peephole and do not open the door to see who is there. What is the point of locking your door if all a burglar has to do is knock and you open the door for him? Put a wooden stick in the track of your sliding glass door. Use screws (partly unscrewed) to prevent the sliding door from being jimmied up out of its track. Burglars dislike alarm systems and barking dogs. There are dozens of additional hints, tips, tricks and pieces of advice for making homeowners and apartment dwellers feel more safe and secure within their castle walls.

Burglar-Proof Your Home: Simple Ways to Foil Burglars
The psychological trauma of being burglarized can stay with you for the rest of your life. That's why it is imperative that you take a few minutes to learn some simple ways of making your home less attractive to burglars, that to InsureMe.com, a Bankrate company selling insurance policies. Remember, burglars are opportunistic, for the most part, which means they will break into the easiest target. By taking just a little time to make your home just a little less appealing to a burglar, you could save yourself from a lifetime of trauma. For example, remembering what many police officers refer to as the "3/7 rule" could stop many burglars cold. This means that all shrubs near the house are shorter than 3 feet high, and the lowest branches on any trees near the house are 7 feet off the ground, making it much more difficult for burglars to make use of them. One thing that most people never consider is exposed phone lines. How easy is it for a burglar to walk up and snip your phone lines, making contact with the outside world almost impossible? Crushed rock beneath a window is much more noisy than soft grass and tends to make burglars shy away. These are only a few of the many suggestions this site has for making your home less attractive to burglars.