Well thought out home security will go a long way to protecting the home from unwanted intruders from gaining access to your property and as such should never be underestimated. By carrying out some of the following landscaping techniques you can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of crime.
Fencing and Landscaping
Tree branches should be cut back so as to make climbing over fences and hedges as difficult as possible. Also, by cutting back thick buses and shrubs, better visibility can be created so as to expose passages ways to the side of the house or the rear of the property where someone could conceal themselves from view allowing more time to gain entry to your home. Another great method is to remove any solid fence panels and replace them with metal fencing therefore creating more visibility and removing a hiding place for any potential criminals targeting the home.
Gates
Where ever possible, garden gates and driveway gates should be kept locked when not in use to keep home security levels as high as possible at all times. Also worth considering is the fact that a solid gate does not allow visibility through it so more often than not a gate design that allows for open visibility is the best option even though it may not offer the best levels of privacy. One really popular solution to securing areas of the home requiring frequent access such a entrances to the property is to install electric driveway gates that require a pin number to be inserted into the control panel to be able to gain entry. This way you can be sure that only authorised people are able to pass through onto your property.
Trees and Shrubs
Around areas where vehicles are parked, trees and shrubs should be kept below a height of around two feet. This way you can clearly see if anyone is lurking near to parked cars looking for the right opportunity to break in and either steal the belongings inside or even steal the car altogether.
Doors and Windows
Adequate locks should be fitted to all windows and door to the home and should be checked on a regular basis to ensure they are performing to their optimum performance levels. More often than not it is the simple factor of not closing a window when leaving the home that leads to the opportunist burglar targeting your home.
One overlooked aspect of home security is the garage. With most homes having many hundreds of pounds worth of gardening equipment inside it does not make sense to leave the door unlocked or have a flimsy old garage door acting as the only line of defence. With modern door types such as sectional garage doors or roller shutter garage doors offering far superior levels of security, it could pay in the long run to make an upgrade to the garage security.
By implementing some of the above recommendations, you can increase security and reduce the likelihood of becoming targeted by criminals.
