With the increasing level of crime, particularly burglaries, it is wise to do all you can to reduce the chances of your home being one of the ever growing number of crime statistics.

Criminals are by nature, risk averse. They tend to hit homes that appear to be easy marks and generally want to avoid any confrontations with any occupants. They also want to get in and out very quickly. Anything that will cause the bad guys to believe that a house is difficult to enter will increase the chances of them simply passing you by. Following are some easy and inexpensive steps you can take to enhance your home security. 1. Make sure your home looks lived in and currently occupied. This can easily be accomplished by keeping some lights on. If you are away, keep several lights on a timer with different on/off schedules. Mow your lawn and keep the outsides clean of clutter. Have someone pick up your mail and newspapers when you are away. It would also help if you had a neighbor park their car in your driveway while you are on vacation. 2. Lighting is important. Make sure your obvious entry points are well lit, preferably with a motion detecting light. Any unexpected light, and a potential burglar will likely flee.

3. Make sure your doors are solid. Locked exterior doors and deadbolt locks are a relatively low cost way of solidifying your main entry points.

4. Don't forget the windows. A normal house has many more windows than doors. Install pins on all first floor windows.

5. Start a neighborhood watch program. Contact your neighbors and also the local police department on what steps you need to take.

6. Do not leave your own unlocked car in the driveway. If you are like most people, you keep your garage door opener in your car. Access to your attached garage means access to your house.

7. Install an alarm system. Alarm systems can be expensive and inconvenient, but remember, the goal is to make your house difficult to burglarize.

8. Do not leave a message on your answering machine that you will be gone for an extended period of time.

9. Finally, in the unfortunate event that someone does break in, they are likely to go to the master bedroom and kitchen. Those are the places that most of a household's valuables are kept. Either keep your valuables in a safety deposit box at a bank, or hide them in unexpected places.

Remember, make your house look occupied and difficult to enter and hopefully, you will never have to live through the horror of having your home broken into.