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How to keep your house safe against burglars

The current South Africa we are living in is much, much, much more dangerous than the "old South Africa" where crime is concerned. There are many explanations for this, but this is not the forum for that matter. I want to show readers how to keep their home 99% burglar proof at almost no cost, by showing them the methods I use. Although living in an area that is notorious for burglaries, I didn't have even one burglary attempt at my house for the past 18 years.

1. The first and foremost thing is to NEVER establish a pattern in your movements. Never leave your home at a certain time and return at a certain time. This may be the most difficult thing to do, but with careful planning it can be done. Many burglars stake out houses before they break in over a period of days or even weeks. The most important thing they check during such a stake out is when people leave their premises and return again. This give them the time when the house will be empty of occupants and thus vulnerable.
2. ALWAYS give the impression that there are people at home when you are not there. During the day time, leave curtains open. DO NOT LEAVE ANY VALUABLES in the rooms where the curtains are open. Leave stuff around in such a room, though, that strengthens the impression that someone is home and has just left the room, like cups half filled with coffee or tea, half eaten food, open books, etc. Leave a radio on, playing on a talk station. The radio mustn't be on too loud, just enough so that someone listening at the door will hear it playing. Talk radio is better than music, because it gives the immediate impression that someone is home. You can also record sound files of daily home activities, like vacuuming, using power tools, people talking, etc and put it on a CD that you can play continuously or play it through your computer speakers. At night time leave on as many lights as would be on when you are home. If the TV is in a room that can be seen from the street, leave it playing with the sound not too loud. If you are gone for more than a day, use timers to switch on lights and other electrical appliances at certain times.
3. Put a very prominent BEWARE OF THE DOG sign up at the front gate, whether you have a dog or not.
4. Put up dummy CCTV cameras on the outside of the house as well as the inside, that the burglar CAN ONLY SEE ONCE HE IS INSIDE YOUR YARD. Making such cameras visible from the street only makes

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