It’s been years since Mariana Harrison moved into her first apartment, but one piece of fatherly advice has stayed with her ever since. And weirdly, it has to do with door screws.
Harrison, who’s a real estate agent in Texas, says the latch in most front doors typically have screws that are only ‘half an inch long’ and easily fall out with one kick by a burglar.
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However, she says her dad replaced them with 4-inch screws, making it near impossible for anyone to kick her door in.
You can see a noticeable difference between the size of the two screws in the picture below:
Here are some other helpful tips from a former criminal, Michael Fraser, in thwarting burglary attempts at your home:
- “Never leave your keys under flower pots, bricks or mats — these are the first places a burglar will look, especially if it appears such places have been disturbed.”
- “Photograph valuable items in your home and take a note of their serial numbers. Should you be burgled it helps with remembering items that have been taken and could help recover them.”
- “Don’t just leave the bathroom light on, as many burglars feel confident enough to enter if they think the owner is taking a bath or shower.”
According to the most recent FBI data from 2010, more than 60 percent of all burglaries involved forcible entries, with over 30 percent considered ‘unlawful,’ meaning they didn’t require force to break in.