Wouldn’t it be nice to know in the event an intruder gains access to your home or business that your monitoring signal is going to connect on the very first attempt to your monitoring station and not sit banked up, and that the activation is going to be dealt with immediately within a guaranteed timeframe, not just when the operator gets around to it?

What about should you activate a duress alarm late at night because you hear noises from down stairs and think somebody is in the house? Can you risk not being guaranteed immediate attention?

Or should you be away from home and a smoke detector activates, imagine the difference minutes can make?

A medical emergency arises and you need immediate assistance? These things may not ever happen, however security is like insurance, when you need it, you need the protection and peace of mind that comes from a reliable certified security partner.

It is alarming the number of Canberra homes currently being monitored by ungraded monitoring stations.

Our advice is only use monitoring services from a certified grade A1 monitoring station. Centurion Home & Business Security only provide Grade A1 Monitoring services to their clients.

Now that’s peace of mind

It should be noted that the claim of “Locally Based Monitoring Station” ensures faster response times, sounds great in theory. However, the alarm system still has to dial the control room and the operator still has to make the necessary phone calls, being locally based does not change that.

Grade A1 on the other hand means that you are more likely to receive faster response to your activation simply because there is state of the art monitoring equipment being used, no chance of communication failure, sufficient staffing, and proper training, not forgetting to mention the fact that regular compliance audits are undertaken.

The security market is fraught with companies offering heavily discounted monitoring fees, even free service periods on long term contracts for ungraded monitoring services, meaning the use of monitoring stations that have not been assessed and graded, generally because they don’t comply with the rigorous standards imposed.

Our advice is only use monitoring services from a certified grade A1 monitoring station. Centurion Home & Business Security only provide Grade A1 Monitoring services to their clients.

Now that’s peace of mind.

Look into safety-coating your most vulnerable windows. Safety coat is an adhesive plastic sheeting that makes breaking out windows difficult.

Reason: It’s not going to be fun for them, standing in a rosebush only to discover that the window isn’t easy to break either. Instead of a quick pop, they now need to stand there and repeatedly pound before they can even reach the lock. Wait until they discovers that the window has window stops as well.

If you can afford it, there are many quality windows that are not only good to keep inclement weather out, but provide serious burglar protection, as well.

On top of everything else, get an alarm system, this is another layer of the onion. You can go anywhere from a basic system to incredibly high tech.

Reason: Now that you’ve made it slow and difficult for him to get inside, an alarm is far more effective since it gives the security patrol a chance to arrive in time. In addition, burglar and fire alarms do wonders to keep your home owner’s insurance down.

If you use a pole in the track to secure sliding doors and windows make sure it is the right length. It should be within a 1/2 inch of the track’s length.

Reason: If the pole is not long enough to keep the criminal from slipping his fingers in, it is of no use. Staple or tape a piece of string to the pole to make it easy to remove when it is in the track.

Better yet get a “track stop” or “track lock” that you can put in the tracks. They are far better than the “poor man’s version” of a dowel.

Get a dog, a barking dog, whether inside the house or in the yard is proven as the best deterrent to burglars.

Reason: It doesn’t have to be a 250 - pound Rottweiler named Killer, even a smaller yappy dog serves as an early warning system. Not only does the intruder risk a bite, but the barking attracts attention. And there is no such thing as a stranger intimidating a dog into silence.

We don’t recommend dog doors. It is not uncommon for thieves to bring small children and send them through these and have the child open the main door. Also, since many burglars are, in fact, teenagers, it is also common for them to bring a younger child with them to do this. If you do have a dog door already, either a) put the dog out and lock the door during the day or b) make sure the access gates to your yard are locked. That way the criminals cannot simply walk by, open your gate to let the dog out and then return when the dog has wandered away.

The truth is a dog, even a small dog, inside a house is not something a burglar wants to to deal with. Getting bitten is not fun.

Install motion detectors in areas where no one should be. This way, you know something isn’t right when they go off.

Reason: Most people put safety lights where they do the least good. While they illuminate your approach as you pull into your driveway, such lights are often hard to see if you are indoors. Put them along the side of the house or back, so that someone lurking there sets them off.

Position them so you can see when they go on. The lights are adjustable, so even if you have a blind wall you can turn the lights so they will both illuminate an area and attract your attention. Put them high enough so that they cannot be knocked out of service by someone jumping.

Look into low voltage and/or solar powered outdoor lighting. This kind of lighting illuminates your property at very little cost.

Get to know your neighbours, create your own Neighbourhood Watch program.

Reason: An alert and involved community is the criminal’s nemesis. It is often reason enough for him to take his business elsewhere.

By knowing your neighbours, especially retired people who are home all day. Let them know who belongs there and who doesn’t. Have them watch your property and pick up your newspaper when you are on holidays. It is also a good idea to hire a trustworthy young teenage neighbour to do such mundane jobs as mowing your lawn or taking out the trash. These kids then have vested interests in your property and they are home to watch your property when adults aren’t. The kids like it because they get spending money and you get to watch TV on the weekend instead of mowing the lawn.

Make sure the gates are locked if you have a fence. This is especially important with accesses to the alley.

Reason: Each layer serves as a deterrent. The more layers and hard work the criminal has to do, the more likely he is to pass by your home. A locked fence is something he must climb over while carrying objects. If the gate is left unlocked, however, he can just walk right through it. So lock your gates with a quality padlock.