When moving into a high-crime area, it's understandable that you might be worried about thieves. However, you can protect your home with a few simple, low-cost measures to ensure thieves think twice before paying you a visit. 

Stage One: Deterrents

Whether you live in an apartment or a house, your first line of defence will always be deterrents.

Dogs

Dogs can smell and hear people coming long before you can. They might also ward thieves off while you are out. A survey of prison inmates by Sun-Sentinel found that most burglars are deterred by dogs. Dogs are loud, aggressive, and dealing with them wastes precious time. Invest in a canine alarm system. 

Alarm Notices

Security systems are expensive. However, most burglars won't be able to tell if you actually have one or not. Place a sign or two near your home informing any burglars that your home is protected by an alarm system.  

Thorny Obstacles

Thorny bushes and plants like creeping juniper and blue spruce, placed under your windows and by your front door will deter inexperienced burglars. Getting their jeans snagged on a bush might just make a little too much noise.  

Light and Noise

Though it might run up the electricity bill, from time to time, leave the radio or TV on to make it look like someone is home. 

Stage Two: Obstructions

Obstructions waste time. Burglars have precious little to waste. 

Deadbolt

FBI statistics from 2010 show that of 60.5 percent of burglaries occurred through forced entry. Have a locksmith install a sturdy deadbolt to your front door to obstruct any attempts to force entry into your home. 

Curtains

Invest in some thick curtains for your windows. Burglars like to see what they are getting into before taking action. 

Steel Rods

Sliding doors and windows can be forced open by even the most inexperienced burglar. Use steel rods to block these doors and windows at all times, unless you plan to use them. 

Stage Three: Safety 

This is your last line of defence. 

A Safe Room

In 2012, home invasions became a problem in Sydney and resulted in violence. Install a sturdy lock on the door of at least one of the rooms in your home, and keep an inexpensive phone hidden but easily accessible so you can call the police. 

A Safe

A heavy, bulky safe in an awkward location might take up a lot of a burglar's precious time. Most burglars spend approximately 8-12 minutes inside a home. Even if your safe contains thin air, many of those precious minutes might be taken up trying to get into your safe. 

Misdirection

As in the case of the safe, mentioned above, misdirection is your ally against time-constrained burglars. Most burglars go for the dressers, drawers and closets first. Put your valuables somewhere that no thief would think to look. Who would look for jewellery in a cereal box? Certainly not your average teen thief with jangling nerves!

No matter where you move, and no matter how high the crime rate, if you draw attention to yourself someone in the area is going to notice. That doesn't mean you should ignore your neighbours. On the contrary, get to know them. Find out who you can trust and befriend them. Find out all you can about the goings on in the area and look out for each other. You don't have to get high-tech security systems to stay safe, but make sure you give each of the aforementioned stages the attention it deserves.