***£££ thieves!!!

[MathGeek]

Not every security technique applies in every situation, but I like and recommend a layered approach to crime prevention, combining physical barriers, surveillance, privacy, dogs and vigilance. Particular care should be exercised when a vehicle or home or other big ticket item is bought or sold. The best place for guns and cash is secured in a locked safe inside an occupied residence or on the immediate person of a security minded individual. I also recommend care when purchasing safes, jewelry, gold, etc. to take care not to leave an easy trail back to the address where the valuables will reside. If a safe must be delivered to a home (thus connected to the address), it is best to bolt it well to a concrete floor and have a locksmith twiddle with the inside of the lock while the owner changes the combination to create a combination that only the owner knows. We also favor gated driveways or communities, especially when vehicles cannot be garaged. Criminals are reluctant to enter gated areas where unknown dogs, surveillance systems, motion detectors, and alarms increase their risks.

The importance of diligence cannot be overstated. We have frequently written down license plate numbers that seemed fishy and taken photographs of unfamiliar vehicles and things that seemed out of place in our quiet neighborhood. Yes, it is usually nothing more than a new service provider or landscaper, but if it turns out to be more, we've got a lot of investigative leads for police.

I might also mention that surveillance will hardly ever raise a red flag when a home or business is being cased unless it is reviewed at regular intervals for things that seem out of place.