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- Keep doors locked when you are at home.
- Close and lock windows when leaving your home.
- Considering installing dead-bolt locks on all doors. Dead-blot lock should have a one-inch throw. Install an auxiliary lock if the dead-bolt has a key in the knob.
- When you move into a new house, considering re-keying exterior locks or change the locks already there.
- Use locking bars to secure sliding doors. Install a nail or a screw in the sliding door frame so that the door cannot be lifted out from the outside.
- Secure double-hung windows by sliding a bolt or a nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in each top corner or the inside sash and part way through the outside sash. Alternatively, buy keyed window locks.
- Make sure outside doors, including the one between your house and garage, are solid, 1¾ inch metal or hard wood.
- Door should fit tightly in their frames and hinges should be on the inside.
- Install a peephole in all entry doors so you can see who is outside without opening the door. A short chain between the door and the jamb is not a good substitute because it can be broken easily.
- Teach your children safety rules about answering the door and the phone, and how to evacuate the house if there's a fire.
- Don't hide spare keys outside of your home. Most burglars know where to look! Instead, give a spare key to a trusted neighbour, a friend or a relative.
- Install smoke, carbon monoxide and natural gas detecors in your house and make sure you check them regularly.
- If you have an alarm system, check it at least once a month.
- Use automatic timers to turn indoor lights on and off to make your home look lived in.
- Ask a neighbour to watch your home while you are away. Make sure that any deliveries, newspapers and junk mail is picked up while you are away.
- Make a complete inventory of your house contents and identify your belongings by engraving identifying marks or numbers on them.
- Join or start a "Neighbourhood Watch".
- When someone comes to the door, look through your peep hole or a window to see who is outside before opening the door.
- If someone comes to the door and asks to make a phone call, make the call for them. Do not let them into your house.
- If a delivery person or someone claiming to be from a service company comes to the door, ask for identification before letting them into your house.
- Any shrubbery that hides doors or windows should be pruned back. Cut back tree limbs that could help a thief climb into second story windows.
- Make sure all entrances are well-lighted. Consider installing lights with motion detectors in the back yard and side entrances.
- Do not store ladders and tools in your garage.
- If you hear any strange noises during the night, like breaking glass, call the police and wait for them to arrive. If you're alone, lock the bedroom door.
- If you come home and find a window broken, a screen split or other signs of forced entry, don't go in. Call the police from a neighbour's house or public phone and wait for the police to show up.
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