Burglar Prevention / Alarm

[Deleted User]

There have been a lot of burglaries in my area recently and two of my friends have had their homes broken into.

I was wondering about getting an alarm but not sure what the costs would be and if running costs.

What is and isn't a waste of time?

As single parent with 2 kids would feel safer but obviously limited resources.

Any recommendations?

Dognobs

look for a ADT alarm box on ebay with flashing light get the stickers to match. Nobody takes any notice of alarms anyway. Make sure all you windows and doors have good locks

Owain_Moneysaver

Everyone knows the ADT boxes are fakes; real ADT alarms are all remotely monitored anyway.

Local police often give free crime prevention advice. Prickly bushes in the garden and window locks can be very cost-effective.

KateLiana27

"Which" has a guide that gives the average costs of installation and maintenance in different parts of the country. Our local average was about £400 for installation and £55 a year for maintenance. (You can find the guide free through a Google search). It does depend on the house though, so it's worth getting a few quotes to know for sure.

I'm also in two minds about alarm installation in our own home. On the one hand, alarms are a deterrent for opportunistic thieves (and unless you have a wildly expensive property with unusually high value items, they will be opportunistic rather than professional thieves). It draws attention to them and they don't like that.

On the other hand, installing and using decent locks on your doors and all access points (including windows) can be just as effective. I've heard from a policeman that many burglars just go down a street testing all the door handles, and will usually find one that's unlocked - and that's the house they go for. Motion sensing lights can be very off-putting for a would-be thief.

Also, there are downsides to an alarm - false alarms irritating the neighbours and forcing you to return from work to sort out, for one.

An alarm is not a 100% guarantee against being burgled - it just provides one more barrier to it. I'm not sure that barrier is worth the cost, personally.