The Fountain Valley Police offer extensive advice as to how to avoid residential burglary.
(http://www.fvpd.org/a/index.php?d=community&p=res_burg) The page offers a summary of how and why burglaries take place, and then offers a list of action items useful in deterring crime.
The first item on the list is to buy a dog. The second item on the list is to install a security system. Both perform the same function. They prevent burglars from operating in silence. Because residential criminals need time to snoop through your house to find valuables like cash, gold, jewelry, and small electronics, dogs and security alarms limit the amount of time a burglar has before someone comes to investigate the disturbance.
The bullet-pointed list of recommendations has more than fifteen action items. However, several of them can be fulfilled by contacting a home security company. Specifically, a home security company can help you with the following three items:
• Install solid core doors with deadbolt locks. • Use locking pins on sliding windows and doors. • Install double pane windows.
These security measures require a cash investment. With a private security firm sourcing and installing these items, not only will you be guaranteed the best products to maintain security, but you will get them at pricing only available to the private firms.