There are about 5.5 million people in the Houston Metro area.

With so many people living in an area smaller than Massachusetts, something that must be considered when living in Houston is home security.

Is Houston a safe city to live in?
Should I have a home security alarm installed?
How will having a home security alarm help to keep my family and me safe?
Is Houston a Safe City to Live In?

When it comes to burglaries (which are non-violent thefts) the numbers in Houston, Texas seem to be remaining steady. In Houston there were 13,599 burglaries in 2009 and 13,766 burglaries in 2010. The most recent data available from the Houston Police Department reports that in June 2011 there were 2,226 burglaries; May 2011 - 2,419 burglaries; April 2011 - 2,111 burglaries. If these numbers continue to trend, the 2011 burglary rate for Houston will be more than those reported in 2010.

Property crimes (which include non-violent theft of or crime against property) seem to be remaining the same. In 2009 there were 58,080 and in 2010 there were 58,015 property crimes reported.

Lastly, robberies (which are violent thefts) seem to be decreasing. There were 5,341 in 2009 and 4,774 robberies reported in 2010.

Looking at the above numbers may seem frightening. Take into consideration that if we are counting Houston as having 1 million households and 2.3 million residents: 1 out of every 73 households will be burglarized; 1 out of 40 people will have some crime committed against their property; and 1 out of 482 people will be violently robbed annually.

Should I Have a Home Security Alarm Installed?

The choice to have a home security alarm installed depends on a variety of factors. One must take into consideration the surrounding neighborhood, your lifestyle, what is important to you in life (possessions, family), and insurance.

A good place to start to ascertain the safety of your neighborhood is to talk to the local police or do an internet search about crime statistics. These resources will be able to tell you if crime rates are high, average, or low for your neighborhood. Based upon that information, you may or may not decide to have a home security alarm installed.

Your lifestyle may seem like an odd thing to consider when making the decision about whether or not to install a home security alarm. Your lifestyle is an important factor though:

Are you home all the time?
Are you never home?
Do you have children?
Do you have a lot of expensive things in your home?
Do you have a collection?
Do you invite a lot of people over to your home?
If you are home a lot you may not think that you need an alarm system, however the more you are home the chances of a robbery occurring increases. If you are never home, thieves may think that your home is an easy target. If you have children they may be targeted by classmates, predators, or stalkers. If you have a lot of expensive things in your home, obviously, you want to protect these things, same goes for your collection. If you invite a lot of people to your home, do you know all of them? If your guests bring guests, can you be certain that they are upstanding people who won't be casing your house?

Taking into consideration what is most important to you, whether it be your possessions or the safety of your family, do you have a plan for protection? A home security alarm can help to alert authorities if your home is broken into. However, response times to alarms can vary depending upon the city, number of previous false alarms, and/or what else is happening in the city. If you take advantage of newer video technology, even if the authorities fail to respond in a timely manner, you can still have pictures of who ever broke into or vandalized your home.

Lastly, many homeowners insurance companies provide up to a 20% discount if you do have a home security alarm installed.

How Will Having a Home Security Alarm Help to Keep My Family and Me Safe?

A home security alarm can keep your family safe. Sometimes thieves are not 100% committed to committing the crime. An alarm company placard can dissuade a thief from breaking into your home. An audible alarm that sounds once entry has been made can cause a thief to flee. Remotely enabled lighting (which is a newer feature found with some alarm companies) can also make it appear as though someone is home when the house is empty.

If a thief is able to break into your home the alarm will alert the authorities to the problem. Many times, the alarm can alert the authorities faster than a phone call to 911 would.

Ultimately, getting a home security alarm system installed to protect your home is a personal decision. Having an alarm does not ensure your family's safety. It can give you a sense of security. When used correctly, a home security alarm can prevent your home and your family from being victims.