What is the best burglary deterrent

What’s the best deterrent against thieves?

A good German Shepherd is a great start, but the constant dog hairs can put you off. When asked for advice on what is the best burglary deterrent, my answer is always the same. No one deterrent is particularly better than the others. They all count as one point, and your job is to get as many of those single points as possible. It doesn’t need to cost thousands of pounds, either.

High-Security door locks

You are going to think, as a Doncaster locksmith, that I would say that, but it’s true. The point still holds regardless of whether you have wood, uPVC, or composite doors. You are safe on a wooden door with a good quality British Standard five-lever mortice lock. On uPVC and composite doors you need a three-star anti-snap lock. This leaves the only option of brute force and smashing the doors down to open them. This makes noise, and thieves don’t like a bit of noise.

Security alarms and cameras

Alarms still have their place. They make a thief think twice. If a thief breaks in and an alarm fires, they leave empty-handed.

I like Ring doorbells and all the extra features you can buy. When set up, these cameras will activate. They will make the homeowners aware that someone is there. They can also use them to alert visitors that they are on camera. You are basically informed that you are on camera and being watched.

Cameras are good and can make a thief pass by. I know thieves wear “hoodies”, but it still is a deterrent if all the streets have them even better.

Make your house a deterrent

Side-locked gates, high fences, or thick hawthorn hedges are another ticked box if feasible. Prikastrip is brilliant and good for placing on the top of gates and fences, and as far as I’m aware, it’s legal. Bits of broken glass are not.

Lights left on at night can make sense and cause a second guess. You can get ones that randomly come on and off at night. They are cheap, and if you go away a lot, they are a must.

Hiding away valuables and car keys is also a no-brainer. However, people sometimes are stupid when it comes to this.

I know this is not for the house, but steering wheel locks are relatively cheap and work.

What’s the best burglary deterrent?

But which is best? All of them work, and the more, the better. As I wrote before,  try to get as many as you can afford. Please do not feel that you need them all, and relax.