Last time, we shared with you five security tips that would help to target harden your home and keep you from becoming one of the more than two million burglary victims in the United States annually.  Here are five more tips to help deter criminals from choosing your home as a potential target:

• Be sure to lock windows from the inside.  Consider also applying plain or tinted security film, a window alarm, or decorative window guards which can add an extra layer of security.  Speak to one of our security specialists about these additions.
• Secure sliding glass doors.  Backyard sliding doors are a common entry point for burglars but they can be secured by either using a pin lock installed into the frame as well as a window lock or wooden dowel to prevent it from being slid off track.  Also consider fixed hinge double security screen doors on your sliding door for added stopping power.
• Keep tools and other items secured in a shed.  Backyards can be easy pickings for criminals if tools and children’s play equipment such as bikes are left lying around.  Be sure to secure these items in sheds or with bike locks.  Also, install motion sensor lighting to keep crooks out of the back and also keep ladders locked up as they may be used to help the criminals gain entry into your home.
• Secure your personal information.  Identity theft is becoming a major concern today.  Prevent this by shredding documents with personal information and by dropping off mail at the post office since the letters dropped in those mailboxes cannot be stolen or tampered with.  Also, consider engraving identifying numbers into personal items and also take pictures and video of valuables for easy identification if they are stolen later.