Don't want to pour cold water on the idea, and this may be bull, but I remember reading a story where they asked ex-burglars for deterrent tips, and in one they employed an ex-burglar to 'rob' a house as a test. This guy reckoned he got into the house through an upstairs window, slid down the bannister, threw some sausages to the dogs, hooked the car keys, befriended the dogs, stole the car...and the dogs!
Anyway, I checked my notes for what was recommended:
1. Get an alarm. 60% of burglars (survey of 422) would not attempt to burgle your house if you have one.
2. Get cctv. I don't have that yet. According to 12 burglars surveyed by the Co-op in 2017, this is the biggest deterrent.
3. Have outdoor lighting. When the Co-op survey mentioned above asked a panel of ex-thieves how to deter burglars, this was one of the main points they raised"
https://www.theecoexperts.co.uk/home-se ... r-burglars
4. Home automation. This seems to be a repeat of 2. It's about wireless cameras. 89% of the Co-op study’s burglars said that a smart home would immediately put them off. Most burglars both enter through the front of the house and use a door to get in.
5. Put bars on the inside of windows. I only have this on the cellar window.
6. Use blinds. This web page says an ex-burglar advocates keeping them down all th time.
7. Keep your valuables out of view of ground-floor windows.
8. Keep your front hedge low and your side barriers thorny. "You shouldn’t have a short back and sides, though – keep those hedges, fences or walls over 1.8 metres, and top them with trellis and spiky plants."
"Make sure that your garden looks presentable and cared-for as well. This prevents any passing thieves from thinking that you’ve gone on holiday and left an easy target."
9. Leave tv or radio on.
oh, here we go...
10. Get a dog – or pretend to have one. "Thieves who spoke to the Co-op said that the sound of a barking dog was the second-most powerful go-to method when looking to deter burglars." A sign telling criminals to “beware of the dog” may also work.
11. Show you’re not a good target for identity theft
"Store important papers upstairs and out of sight. Burglars are increasingly looking for official papers, passports, driving licences, and credit card statements that will allow them to steal your identity."
"But if you’re looking at how to deter burglars before they set foot in your home, make sure to leave a bunch of shredded documents in your wheelie bin. This will prompt burglars to move on as quickly as possible – to someone else who wasn’t as smart."