Home Security: 3rd edition: How to Keep Your Home and Family Safe from Crime

I purchased this book in conjunction with 'home security the complete handbook' by Calvin Beckford and Heather Alston after being burgled.The book is divided in to seven sections: introduction; undertaking a house security review; securing your home while you are away; good neighbours are an asset; threats from bogus callers; if the worst happens; and implementing your chosen countermeasures.It's easy to understand and a lot of the measures recommended are easy to adopt with minimal or no cost. According to the blurb, the author has worked in the security field for 30 years, serving as a police officer and working as a security consultant so he knows what he is talking about.A lot of the advice is common sense and nothing I didn't already know however there was some interesting advice in there and the book made me aware of risks and vulnerabilities that I was previously unaware of.Apparently 80% of burglars are opportunists (they were in my case as they seen my mother leaving the house and ascertained it was empty) and will look for an easy way in and out. By taking the measures recommended in this book, you can make your house a harder target and as the author concedes: 'they don't need to take risks when there are so many more vulnerable houses just up the road.'If you have been burgled yourself then there is always the chance that your house will be targeted again especially as the burglars will expect the stolen items to be replaced by insurance. Our previous house was burgled three times so it's more cost effective in the long term to educate yourself on the risks and to take measures to reduce or eliminate them. The more you make life difficult for the burglar, the greater the chance that they will just move on to an easier target down the road.Having been published in 2010 this book is fairly up to date. I mentioned at the start of the review that I purchased another home security book. That book was published in 2005 and focuses more on the 'DIY' aspects of home security with sections on: boundaries; access opportunities; door security; window security; garden security and property marking; security lighting; electronic security; personal safety; useful legal information; and defensive trees and shrubs.If you are serious about protecting your home, I would recommend purchasing both books. The only thing I think this book lacked was the fact that it had no diagrams (the other book has loads) and it didn't go in to as much detail on the 'DIY' aspects of home security. In terms of understanding how some burglars operate and how they 'read' your home however, this book was excellent.

This book should have been called "common sense" if Thomas Paine had not already used that one. It should also have been free, since so much of it reads like a paid advertisement from major Home Security companies.Summary: Don't buy unless you were raised in isolation for 30 years, and then given a home. That is the only demographic that I can imagine who wouldn't already posess the data in this book.Spoiler alert: I'm going to summarize the entire book in one (albeit run-on) sentance - Use a light timer when on vacation, use security lights in the yard, landscape such that criminals cannot hide in the bushes, change your routines periodicaly, and buy a dog.There, I just saved you $15 and did it in an environmentaly sound way. You can send me $5 if you are grateful.My problem with the book is not that the contents are wrong or useless, but that it is material that I though was tribal knowledge passed down to all of us from friends and family. I just can't imagine anyone in a 1st-world, English speaking country who wouldn't already know this.I would have appreciated:What are the vulnerabilities of the common window/door types, and how can I mitigate them.What are the common lock types, and what is the best way to install. Is my door/frame strong enought to take advantage of a strong lock.How to install a home system: what are the different methodologies, philosophies: What types of sensors are available, and how should they be utilized to maximum benefit.The author has good intent, and the book is properly written, but I find myself comparing the contents to the instructions on the back of a bottle of shampoo: Is there someone out there who really needs this explained to them?How

Unless you have never in your life even thought about home security, this book will be of no help to you. Written by a security and technological lightweight, expect no more than the most basic measures, home security audit, locking doors and windows, not being an easy target and willing victim, and little more.Although not obvious, it's written by and for Brits, quite a different culture with different imperatives and threats and emphasis on protections.I'm not sure of what you can find better, but I am pretty sure you cannot find worse.