Layer your security by locking the gate

Your home security should provide layers of protection to you and your family. Burglars generally target areas with the least resistance. These lazy low life's don't want to fight their way through too many barriers because it takes too much time and effort.

Once you've installed all the proper locks and alarms, trimmed the trees in your front yard and installed outside motion lighting it's time to put that security check list away. It's a great feeling to know that you and your family are now safe and secure.

Now it's time to retreat to your private backyard and reap the benefits of all your hard earned money. That's exactly what a burglar will do if you don't install a keyed lock on your backyard gate. Because most backyards are extremely private, many break-in's happen at the rear of the house, so you must be prepared.

Keep in mind that your backyard is private property, it is not a public passageway, so you must treat this area as such by limiting access to it. We tend to secure everything except the one layer of security that keeps an intruder from getting to our home's most vulnerable area. Once a burglar has penetrated your back yard, he or she has created the perfect sanctuary to execute their offence. All the ingredients are there, privacy, time and an easy exit route. Although most gate latches can be locked with a padlock to prevent the latch from opening, seldom do I ever see latches secured with padlocks.

Whether you have a wooden or metal gate, I suggest installing a deadbolt which could be keyed to your house key for convenience. A double cylinder deadbolt (Keyed on both sides) would prevent a burglar from reaching over the gate and opening the deadbolt. This would also prevent small children from opening the gate and wandering out of the yard.

If your wondering if a deadbolt can be installed on your gate, the answer is yes. A deadbolt can be installed on any gate quite easily, however sometimes a little modification is needed to ensure a perfect fit.

Act now, and don't get caught short by inviting a burglar through an unlocked gate. It's a given that burglars will claim any area that is not locked. Whether it's a house door, garage door, outside shed door, window or gate. These brazen thieves just don't care, if it's open, they enter.

Once you have secured your gated area with a keyed deadbolt, chances are a thief will not challenge it. It's one thing to casually walk through a gate however scaling it would possibly send out abnormal signs to a neighbor.

Before retiring to your backyard, don't forget to dress up your gate with one other layer of security: a "Beware of Dog" sign.