Here are six things you can do to make your home more secure...

1) Keep your doors locked! 

It sounds obvious, but in nearly half of all home burglaries, intruders enter through an unlocked door.  Be sure to keep your doors locked at all times, even while in your home.

2) Keep trees and hedges trimmed.

This simple chore gives intruders fewer places to hide while they break into your home.  Don't make it any easier for them; keep your hedges trimmed.

3) Make sure you have ample outdoor lighting.

Thieves generally target homes with poor outdoor lighting. Consider upgrading outdoor light fixtures with devices that have built-in motion detectors which turn on the lights whenever someone walks past. Be sure to replace burned out light bulbs immediately.

4) Don't keep valuables in the bedroom.

Once inside, thieves do exactly what you do when you come home: they head for the bedroom.  Thieves know that is where most of us store our valuables: cash, credit cards, guns, jewelry and prescription drugs.  Thieves will also check out “secret” hiding places: underneath the mattress, the freezer, the cookie jar, dresser drawers and closet shelves.  Get creative in where you hide your valuables.

5) Get to know your neighbors and watch out for suspicious activity in your neighborhood.

Don't be afraid to ask who someone is if you see them hanging around in your neighborhood; it's better to be safe then sorry, and your neighbors will thank you for it.  Join a Neighborhood Watch group if it's available. Start one if necessary.

6) Keep small "luxury" items such as electronic devices locked in a safe or well hidden and make larger items more difficult to steal.

Safes are great places to store small items such as jewelry.  Most thieves are not going to be carrying the equipment needed to break into a safe. Invest in a simple table/desk bolt for stereos, computers and VCRs.  Thieves are looking to get in and out quickly. If it's too difficult to steal most won't bother.