A guide to securing your home

Forget the myth that all burglars are master criminals who "case the joint", studying your movements.

In the world away from television, most domestic burglaries are committed by opportunists. Criminals pick a house that looks unoccupied, has little or no obvious security or whether they think they won't be seen.

There are many measures you can take to deter a burglar from entering your home. It is a mistake to rely on only one or two deterrents - the more you have, the safer you are. Many of the methods used to deter a burglar cost nothing at all and those that do incur a small cost, for example installing window locks, should be looked upon as an investment. Security measures will increase peace of mind and far outweigh the potential cost, both financial and emotional, of a burglary.

Read our guide to improving security in your home

Housing Crime Reduction team has published a guide to improving security in your home. It gives some helpful advice on how to improve the security of your home and contains information about home security including a section that you can use to record details of your valuables. The guide also covers:

• Insuring your property
• Securing your home
• Garden security
• Marking your property
• CCTV
• Homewatch (Neighbourhood Watch)
• Dealing with doorstep callers
• Useful contacts

If you would like a copy of the guide (available to Salford residents only), please email victoria.ryan@salford.gov.uk and we'll be pleased to send you one.

This page was last updated on 9 May 2011