A security alarm system is an important part of your home security plan. In addition to your alarm, there are many things to keep in mind that will help strengthen your security campaign. Be careful at all times and especially during the holidays, due to the increase in criminal activity.

* A quality lock on all perimeter doors is always your first line of defense. A door is often the point of entry for an intruder. If you don’t have a quality lock, the perpetrator knows that a good hit will break the unfortified wood that holds the door lock cylinder in place. A quick entry and closing of the door hides the damage, since you will be inside.

* If you have just moved into your home or business, you must change the key cylinders in all the locks, since you do not know who has a copy of the key.

* Cut the handle cord on your electric garage door openers. It’s easy to push the top of your garage door in far enough to attach a wire hanger and engage the release handle. By pulling the handle, a burglar will override the screw or chain drive and be able to manually lift the overhead door. Once protected by the privacy of your garage, entry into the home is unavoidable. Be sure to leave enough wire so you can use it from the inside if needed, but not enough to reach the top of the overhead door!

* Thieves hate light. You should replace your exterior perimeter lighting with motion-activated light fixtures. These are very inexpensive these days and are available at most hardware and electronics stores. The protection they will provide, along with the convenience of having a well-lit area to come home to, makes them a must-have.

* Put timers on some of your indoor lights to give the appearance that someone is home. It’s always smart to vary the timing every few days so a pattern doesn’t take place, if you’re being boxed in. X10 creates a variable timer that will change the time automatically.

* If your last name is posted on your mailbox, a thief can get your phone number from the information. By calling your phone with no answer, they might assume you’re not home.

* Turn down the volume on your answering machine so thieves can’t hear that no one is home if the phone rings.

* Do not hide the keys outside your house, as they will be found. Leave a spare with a trusted neighbor at your place.

* Leaving ladders and tools outside your home can trigger a thief’s impulse, even if that wasn’t on today’s schedule.

* When leaving home for the daily routine, be sure to vary the times and direction of travel. Their repetitive actions are a gift to potential thieves who are always on the lookout for their next victim.

* Remove or place a light in bushes that can easily hide a thief waiting on the site.

* When buying new appliances like televisions or stereos and computers, be sure to hide or destroy the boxes. New valuables are an invitation to a thief’s already distorted senses.

* Never tell a stranger that you are home alone.

* Install a peephole viewer, if you don’t have a convenient window to check who’s at your door before opening it to a stranger.

* If someone asks to use your phone for an emergency, take the information behind closed doors and inform them that you will make the call for them.

* If you see entrance signs, DO NOT ENTER the house. Go to the neighbors, to ask for help and be aware of cars or strange people near your house.

* Always keep your cell phone in your room with you. If the phone lines are down, you will need it to call for help.

* Do not leave a purse, wallet or laptop on counters that can be seen from a window. This will almost always trigger a forced entry.

* Security signs without the proper window security company stickers may lead a passing burglar to believe that you don’t really have an alarm system installed.

* When traveling, put your office address and cell phone numbers on your luggage tags. A baggage handler will know that you are not home.

* Remove all address information from your car parked at the airport. Anyone who gets into your vehicle will know you are not home and will have your address and garage door opener.

* Don’t leave notes on the door telling someone you’re not home and what time you’ll be back.