Originally Posted by Vintage_Cyclist

For security you should strive for defense-in-depth. That means providing multiple methods of security. Keeping the house or garage locked, an alarm, neighbors looking out for each other, a dog, locking-up your bikes, etc. If you're going to be away for a few days or weeks, don't advertise it. A burglar is likely to be local and would love information like that.

You want to discourage a thief from breaking-in and increasing the time it takes to steal valuables if he actually does. Thieves want to get in and out quick to reduce the potential for getting caught or attacked by a homeowner. Usually they're looking for easily transportable valuables like money and jewelry and head right for the bedroom looking for it.

I keep my bikes in the house locked to each other and a cast iron radiator with 2 separate cable locks, as well as U locks. My local errand runner is a beat-up looking frankenbike and usually stays in the garage locked to an aluminum ladder.

I had a burglary about 15 years ago. The guy pried the door frame with a crowbar to get in. He was actually still inside the house when I came home and jumped out a back window as I was coming in the door with my gun out when I saw the crowbar gouge on the door. Lost a few watches, a jar of spare change and an ancient cassette tape walkman that I didn't even use anymore. He was a local druggie, got nabbed shoplifting 2 weeks later, confessed to breaking into multiple houses in the area and got sent to prison for a few years.

No problems since, but now I leave a few decoy enticements that would be seen immediately by anyone entering the house - a dead laptop inside an old laptop bag, a 35mm point-and-shoot camera and an old palm pilot. They're all useless garbage to me, but might look good to some mutt looking for a few quick goodies without really scrutinizing them in his haste.