We all know that society is less than perfect and that crime could easily touch us all. If you talk to friends and neighbours you will usually find that most of them have either been the victim of crime or know somebody who has. People fear crime, they feel helpless because they think that there is nothing they can do to protect themselves, but that is wrong! There is a lot that the average person can do, to protect themselves, their family and their property. This security handbook will teach you how to perform a security review on various different aspects of your home and property.

Origins Of This Book

I first considered writing a security tutorial when I joined friends who were discussing what they would buy if they won millions on the lottery. Most people included the expected fast cars, luxury holidays and big houses, but there was one priority purchase that was common to most of them and which really surprised me. Almost all of them dreamed of using their fortune to buy a ‘secure and safe life style’!

They were ordinary people, leading ordinary lives, people who I thought would have no specific security worries. I investigated further because I wanted to know what additional security they thought they needed. I wanted to know what special threats they thought they faced and how they thought sudden wealth would help them to improve their security. Most of their concerns could be listed under two main classifications:

1. Aspects of their lifestyle that I thought were already within their control.
2. Headline-grabbing crimes, which they were very unlikely to encounter.

Basically, people were worrying about nothing, because with the right information and guidance they could make significant improvements to the security of their home and property at minimal cost.

A 2003 survey asked people which were the most significant threats they thought they faced. I selected the following extracts.

What do you worry most about for yourself and your family?

What have you done in the last 2 years to address these concerns?

That shows me that many people (45%) are worried about crime, but very few people (27%) had taken steps to reduce their exposure to crime! I think that is because they don’t know what they can do. This book will teach you how to look at your house and property, and identify potential vulnerabilities, threats and risks. When you have identified them I will propose simple, affordable and achievable countermeasures that the average person can implement to increase their levels of security.