Currently, when you turn on the television or open your local newspaper you can see an amazing spectacle unfolding – like the World Cup – while in the same moment being confronted with any one of a number of terrifying events featuring criminals from around the country. While these can be scary times it is good to remind yourself that these are extremely rare events which only seem like they happen more regularly because the media is so good and so quick at reporting every detail and keeping it exciting to keep you tuning in and buying newspapers.

However, one should always keep home security at the fore front of our minds when we have the opportunity to make home improvements. There are many ways in which you can improve the security of your home, some more expensive than others.

Replace Windows and Doors

How do criminals gain access to your home? Unless you live in a bank or have a collection of rare Faberge eggs, it is not likely that anyone will want to tunnel into your house, so to stop anyone dead in their tracks you should make sure that you have good, strong windows and doors and that you have any brakes or damage replaced or repaired as soon as possible.

Keep Valuables Out of Sight

This may be tricky if you have an antique grand piano in your front room but in general it is advisable to make sure that even if you are at home, that you try to keep any valuables you are not using out of sight. This way, any opportunistic thieves will have no inspiration to even consider trying to gain access to your home. This goes for car keys too. A large proportion of car thefts these days are through keys being stolen from the house.

Broken Window Theory

The theory goes that in a place where buildings are allowed to fall into disrepair, those looking for somewhere to rob or vandalise are more likely to target places which it seems people don’t care about. With this in mind, for security it is advisable to keep your property in as good state of repair as you can manage. So next time you put off getting your missing roof tiles replaced. Think of the broken window theory.