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One of the most feared crimes is burglary. The threat of being a victim in your own home is bad enough but to be subjected to a crime a second or third time simply increases the fear of householders in an area. The quiet enjoyment of community life is ruined.

Most householders and car owners have at some time felt the fear of crime, with the elderly and vulnerable most at risk. It makes sense to take steps to tackle crime in an effective way by reducing and preventing crime before it can happen.

Home security is the best way to reduce your chances of being burgled. A lot of burglaries are spur of the moment, as a burglar may see an open window or other easy point of entry and take their chance.

Basic tips:

* Visible burglar alarms, good lighting, and carefully directed and limited security lighting can act as deterrents. But make sure that lights don't disturb your neighbours, and that alarms turn off after 20 minutes.
* Fitting a 'spy hole' allows you to see who is at the door. Having a door chain means you can open the door a little way to talk to them.

Make sure that any improvements you make don't stop you from getting out of your house as quickly as possible if there is a fire.

* Spending money on security measures can seem daunting, but it is a good investment, will last a long time and can add value to your property.
* Contact your council or local police for help. They may be able to advise you on the best measures to protect your property, and may even have grants to help cover the cost.

Securing your property will make you safer in your home, and make your home and your belongings safer while you are out.

Older people

Older people may feel more vulnerable to some crimes, but are actually less likely to become victims. A few simple steps can also help reduce your risk of crime.

* Think about getting a personal alarm to use if you trip or fall at home.
* Fit door chains and spy holes, or ask the council to help you if you own your home.
* Many councils have security schemes that are aimed at older or more vulnerable people. You could ask them for advice.

Phone the Age Concern information line on 0800 00 99 66 or visit the Age Concern website

Car Security

Most car thefts are carried out by opportunists and can be deterred. Car crime affects everybody living in an area and be reduced with some simple measures:

* Don’t leave valuable items on display
* Do use steering wheel or hand brake locks to prevent theft of your vehicle – especially if your car is an older model and does not have an immobiliser fitted.
* If possible, park in a busy well lit area.

Visit the web site secureyourmotor.gov.uk for further information.

Must Have Security is one of the UK’s leading specialist online retailer of personal and home security products. For Products on Crime Prevention and protecting your family, visit www.musthavesecurity.com articleson.com

Lock picking is the activity that opens a lock without the proper key. When we are thinking of it, usually we are associating it with illegal activities. But that isn't always the case!

Let's think for example what we can do if we have lost the house key or if we have locked ourselves outdoors. If we live on the ground floor we could jump through the window (if it's not open we can easily break it with a stone). But if we are not, we either unlock the door or... break it (which is not a cheap solution). With a bit of talent and an unsophisticated lock, we can manage to unlock it ourselves. Though the reality is not quite like in the movies (when a door is unlocked in a couple of minutes, just in time for the hero to save the heroine). The best solution is to call for a professional locksmith, who is trained to deal with these situations.

When picking a lock, a locking tools kit is needed. The simplest kit contains a tension wrench (a screwdriver for example) and a lock pin (a long, thin piece of metal, curved at the end). In an emergency situation, a lock pin is successfully replaced with a hair pin. A professional kit will have a lot of tension wrenches (in different sizes and shapes) and a lot of dimensions for the lock pins. Or it could have a pick gun (contains many metal pieces, that vibrate and push all the lock pins up at once).

First step is to insert the tension wrench in the keyhole and turn the cylinder like a normal key would do. Then we can insert the lock pin and carefully start to lift the pins up. When they reach the normal position we will hear a slight click and the lock is unlocked.

Along with “picking” there is another technique called “racking”. It presents a lower level of precision. We need a special pick called a “rake”. This will be inserted until it hits the back of the cylinder (not slowly like a pick) and it will be pulled out quickly in order to hit all the pins up on its way out. In the meantime the cylinder is turned with the tension wrench.

Master locks are one of the hardest locks to be picked! They are not infallible, but they do have an excellent protection system. They were invented in 1921, by Henry Soref, who thought of producing the padlocks in laminated layers of steel. While the Master locks in padlocks have the same picking system as the other locks, Master locks in combined formats require a patient and skillful locksmith.

There are a lot of lock picking books, which teach us the techniques of lock picking step by step. Sometimes they are accompanied by a video or CD for a better illustration. Some of the books are written for professional locksmiths, but there are also many others directed to people that simply want to know more about the subject. Sometimes the books show the history of locks and lock picking or how a person can become a locksmith!

When buying a lock, we have to keep in mind the value of what we intend to protect! Most locks can be picked, but buying a good one increases our security and safeness!

Jeff King is a technologist who writes on many consumer topics. There's more about locks and safes at Safe'n'Locked articleson.com