By Kingsley Adegboye

There is no gainsaying the fact that  crime rate particularly burglary is on the increase in Nigeria. Burglary is a crime of opportunity where entry is gained, mostly due to the carelessness of the  homeowners.

...Security door

Items that are often stolen when homes are burgled include: cash, little electronic gadgets such as cell phones, laptops, jewelries, cameras to mention but a few .

Even with the increase in cases of burglary, only few people bother about security until something happens to them or to their neighbour. Experts believe that the public’s complacent attitude to issues of security, is what is making the burglary business to thrive.

A security expert, Mr. Emeka Kalu listed are several things home owners could do to make their homes less of a target to burglars.

Mr.  Kalu who is the Chief Executive Officer, Superior Forces, a security outfit, stated that burglars typically target a home when no one is at home.

He described effective burglar deterrent as one of the solutions to home security. ‘’A dog is one of the best deterrents. It is not because it is vicious. It needs not even be seen, but it has to be heard.

A dog with a menacing bark will scare away a lot of would-be burglars, not only because they don’t know what kind of dog you have and what risk it would be to them if they try to break in, but more likely because a noisy dog will create a disturbance and attract attention.

‘’If you don’t have a dog there is nothing stopping you from pretending. A Beware of Dog sign on your fence, a dog house in the back yard, even a loose dog chain or bowl can drive away a potential burglar. Don’t be fooled by companies that provide cheap electronic dogs who bark non-stop if an intruder gets into the premises and cannot scare the intruder.

‘’Electronic devices that are effective besides the typical whole house alarm systems for windows and doors are infrared or motion detectors that sense movement or the heat given off by one’s body. Anyone approaching too close will trigger any number of attached devices.

The most effective are powerful lights or burglar horns that either flood the area with light or fill the air with a deafening sound without notice. Just like a barking dog, the would-be burglar will usually run out of the premises for fear of being caught.

To be effective, the sensitivity of such devices should not be set too high or stray animals will set them off too frequently which will get you on the wrong side of your neighbours. Also be sure such devices are high enough that they can’t be easily turned off or broken.

‘’Also, illegal entry through the front door occurs more often than all other points of entry into a premises.  All exterior doors should be of solid hard wood or steel reinforced. A good door does no good if the door frame is in bad shape or of inferior construction. Pay special attention to the door jams.

Most doors even in expensive homes are made of cheap materials. It doesn’t take much force to kick such doors open even if protected with dead bolts, if the strike plate is attached with only a couple of 1/2 or 3/4 inch screws.

‘’Install 2-1/2 to 3 inch stainless steel or nickel plated screws in all your exterior door jams.