Professional burglars concentrate on easy targets because they know their chances of success depend on their coming and going without being noticed. So what can you do as a homeowner to make sure you are not inviting someone into your home who doesn’t belong there?.

“As silly as it sounds,” says Nigel Smithers, a retired police officer and CEO of Watchdog Protection Industries, Inc., “the first thing you should do before you leave home for work or play, is make sure that all of your doors, including garage door and side garage entrance, are locked. An incredibly large number of burglars don’t even have to break into a home because homeowners simply forget to lock a swinging or sliding door.”

Smithers also recommends you remember to attend to ground floor windows. “During summer months especially, homeowners frequently open windows to take advantage of evening air and forget to close them before they leave in morning.”

Aside from obvious, Smithers also recommends homeowners make sure that they are not leaving subtle messages that no one is home. “Unfortunately, many homeowners subscribe to newspapers that are dropped on driveway or front step after they depart for work. This is an open invitation to a professional burglar who, when canvassing a neighborhood, is observant enough to recognize an opportunity when he sees it,” he said.

“A professional isn’t likely to hit a home first time he sees a newspaper on driveway at noon, but he may take action if it becomes a pattern,” he said.