Hello and welcome to the Brisbane SmartHomes blog!
With the refurbishment of our website, we're committing to providing more content and information in all things Home Security, Home Automation, Data Networking and Home Theatre.
- How to conduct a Home Security Assessment -
First off we'd like to share some great info from the Queensland Police Service about how to conduct your own home security assessment. This is a great way to check your current setup and see what improvements can be made, a few of which can be super simple and easy enough to do yourself.
For more advanced solutions, this assessment can give you the information you need to figure out what your home needs to be secure, that's where we come in!
The following is from police.qld.gov.au (view full article):
House-breaking, also known as break and enter or burglary, is one of the most common crimes and can occur at any time of the day or night. By regularly assessing our home security, introducing targeted security measures and changes to our everyday behaviours you can help keep your home safe. Good home security can be achieved by following these key principles:
- Make it easy for an offender to be seen
- Make it difficult for an offender to gain entry
- Make it difficult for an offender to exit with your property
- Make it difficult for an offender to gain benefit from your property.
How to conduct a home security assessment:
A simple and effective way to review your home security is to start from the outside and work inwards, using a layered approach. For most homes, including multi-residential buildings, units and townhouses, there are six layers that can be used to identify existing and desirable security.Layer one: External perimeter
Layer two: External walls and access
Layer three: Internal walls
Layer four: Internal areas
Layer five: Property
Layer six: People
Reviewing your home security using a layered approach is a straightforward way to apply the key home security principles. The video below demonstrates how you can apply the layered approach to your own home.
Resources to conduct a home security assessment
The Queensland Police Service Home Security Assessment Guide is a practical and easy to use tool to review your current home security measures and identify potential security risks. With this approach, you want to identify the most appropriate layers/s for treatment. You do not need to change every layer, only those with the highest risk. And always target the layer/s that best suit your circumstances. For example:- What the actual or potential offences for your home or suburb are (have local police reported a spate of similar home entry methods)
- What is within your budget
- What will not impact unacceptably on your lifestyle.
Home Security Tips
There are often typical circumstances which occur before a home is burgled. An offender will usually act on easy or tempting opportunities, especially when it is evident no one is home or the risk of being caught is low. Homes with windows or doors left open or unsecured are more likely to attract a potential offender. Similarly, curtains closed during the day and mail left to accumulate will indicate you are not home and increase your risk of an opportunistic break-in. Offenders are often looking for cash or credit cards, small valuable items and electronic items which can be quickly sold for cash. Offenders also target car keys which are left in sight. Always ensure your car and house keys are secured and stored out of sight and, in the event they are stolen, have the locks replaced or keyless security reprogrammed immediately — offenders may return after the initial break-in. Further information can be found on the Home Security information sheet or the Multi-residential Living Security information sheet.- Queensland Police Service Website, last updated 05/12/2023
