It often occurs to me why we don't pay as much attention to, and take as much care over the security of our homes as we do our cars.
Cars come with alarms, hi-tech security systems, and (prior to the advent of "keyless" entry which is a huge about turn in security, being about as effective an anti theft measure as sticking your car to your driveway with blu-tack) old fashioned hard to defeat mechanically keyed deadlocks that ensure that its hard to get in, hard to drive away, and hard to look inconspicuous whilst doing it.
In contrast, you can break into the average home with little more than a pair of pliers and a wet five pound note.
Euro cylinders that can be defeated with a pair of mole grips, glazing so fragile it's a wonder it doesn't actually fall out with a stiff breeze, doors made of papier mache and locks in general that are hopelessly outdated, and unbelievably easy to pick, knock, bump, rake or simply break open with a well aimed size ten.
Add to that the fact that people are just unbelievably dumb when it comes to basic security. Windows and doors routinely left open, keys are left in locks on the inside of back doors & patio doors, garages are left unlocked, gates left ajar, and alarms left unset. And, most infuriatingly, car keys left by the front door. I have a brilliant bit of cctv of some oik using a fishing rod through my neighbours letterbox to hook the keys to his new smart fourtwo.
Fit proper locks, with anti pick, anti shear, and anti drill designs. The old fashioned Yale fitted to every front door since the 1950's is utter crap. The euro cylinder that's largely replaced it is just as bad. 'London bars' and 'Birmingham bars' can be used to reinforce doors and frames against brute force attacks. Bomb blast film can be used to reinforce existing glass, including patio doors, to the point where you need a frenzied and repeated attack taking several minutes to get through it. It costs very little. I had bomb blast and privacy film added to my patio doors for only £250. New Windows can be specified with multi layer high security glass, frames and hinges that are similarly impossible to break without attracting significant attention. And for Christ sake, set your ****** alarm. Even overnight when you're asleep. All alarms are equipped with zone selection, RTFM, and just set the zones at entry points when you go to bed. You can roam the house all night long if you want, but if some **** decides to come calling without asking, the noise will get rid of him.
Essentially, make your house as impregnable as your car, and they'll go elsewhere.