According to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program Crime Clock, a burglary takes place in the U.S. every 14.6 seconds . It is never a bad idea to be too cautious, especially when it comes to protecting your home or office against potential intruders. One approach that many home and business owners take to preventing theft is to install an alarm system. In the possible case that the intruder successfully breaks in, an alarm system may cause them to stay for a shorter amount of time and lessen the amount of damage. When shopping for an alarm system it is a good idea to consider one with a central monitoring system, that is, someone off site monitoring your system and ready to respond if and when an intrusion occurs. These systems are advantageous because they provide on call response even when you are away, which is when burglars are working their hardest.

At the same time, individuals using alarm systems should not blindly rely on them or use them as a sole defense mechanism. In addition to an alarm system, people should use common sense practices such as always locking doors with solid locking mechanisms and keeping valuables in safes to further their protection.