To help prevent break-in and theft to your residence or business here are some helpful tips, remember the goal is to make yourself a hard target:

• Put quality locks on your doors. Having a higher quality lock will make it more difficult to pick the lock or key bump it. There are also locks with drill resistance for added security. Using Schlage Primus, Kaba Peaks or Medeco locks also gives you added security as no one can duplicate your keys besides the locksmith you purchased your system from.
• Every exterior door should have a deadbolt or an additional locking system as well. The extra layer of security will make your property that much more secure.
• If you lose your keys have your locks rekeyed.
• If you are going to keep a spare hidden key outside of your house make sure it is in a very secure location and move it from time to time.
• Know who you are giving a copy of the key too, if you do not feel that they are trustworthy or reputable do not give them a copy.
• A handy tip for those who have lots of people in and out of their property is to have an electronic lock with multiple users, this will make sure that only one entrance is being used by these individuals and you can remove their code should they no longer be allowed to enter. There are some electronic locks that will also allow you to control what times of day they are allowed to use their code, and some even allow 1 time user codes that are removed from the locks memory after being used just once. This will save you worry and money.
• An alternative idea is to have a small master key system where your master key operates all of the locks but another key could operate only the front door entry set, this way when you are expecting someone to come over while you are gone you can keep your deadbolt unlocked for them and they will have to enter through only that door by unlocking just the door knob or lever. That way if you need to have your property rekeyed you only need that one lock changed which saves money.
• Keep your doors and windows locked, there have been many cases where someone stepped out for a short time to talk with a neighbor or run an errand up the street only to find that a burglar had been in there home and they are now missing priceless items.
• It should always look like someone is home. If you go on vacation make sure your mail and news papers do not pile up. Have a radio on a station where people talk so that it sounds like there is inside activity; have lights put on timers.
• All potential entrances to a home should have motion detector lights so that should someone walk up to your property their presence will be announced. You do not want to give someone privacy to enter the property.
• If you have high shrubs or bushes that cover a window keep them trimmed to below the window line, thorny plants like roses are the most desirable. You do not want to provide cover or easy access for someone to enter your property unseen.
• Do not put your name on your mailbox. It is very easy for someone to match up a name and address to get your phone number to see if you are home or not.
• Consider putting a latch protector on all exterior doors. These make it much more difficult to pry a door open by retracting the latch of the lock.
• If your doors have glass windows surrounding them or your first floor windows are easily accessible you may want to look into what materials they are. Some glass today is made to endure attacks while others are not. There is also a security film which can be installed that stops glass from shattering under attack which will make it much more difficult for an intruder.
• For sliding glass doors and windows there are special locks that can be purchased, that when in the lock position, create a seal that greatly helps prevent them from being pried open.
• For garages you should always keep your windows covered so that an intruder can not tell if there is a car parked inside which indicates someone being home.
• Another good tip is to have a peephole not only in your front door but also in the door separating the house from the garage, that way if you hear someone moving around in the garage you can see if it is an intruder or not.
• Have an alarm system and use it. Also have stickers posted on your entrances stating that you have an alarm system. Get the glass break feature and motion detection feature, this will make the alarm go off if glass is shattered while your alarm is on or if motion is being detected that is not allowed for the chosen threshold.