Every day, stories run on your local news that detail stories of home invasions, bank robberies and store break-ins. If you watch the news every day, you might think to yourself that’s there’s absolutely no way your home could be robbed or your place of employment could be broken into it.

Think again.

Home burglaries happen every 13 seconds in the United States and about 2.5 million of them happen annually. What’s more, homes that have no security system are 33% more likely to be burglarized.

When it comes to retail theft, the Global Retail Theft Barometer published by the Center for Retail Research found that North American retailers lose up to $45 worth of inventory from inventory shrink each year. What’s more, in 2013 victims of burglary offenses suffered an estimated $4.5 billion in property losses and burglaries of residential properties accounted for 74% of the total reported.

Those numbers might sound alarming, but don’t panic. By taking proper safety steps and installing a home security system, you can protect your loved ones and your valuables. Statistics back that up as well as 67% of burglaries can be avoided with the installation of video surveillance and one out of every seven businesses has an alarm system.

There are many benefits to adding integrated security systems to your home or place of business and they include:

• Security: If you live on private property or your place of business has restricted areas, one benefit of integrated security systems is determining who has access to certain areas. Cameras and alarms let you know immediately when a trespasser is on the premises and can limit access that employees who may be somewhere they’re not supposed to be. With integrated security systems and access control systems, you can be better on your guard should a former employee come looking to cause trouble.
• Less vandalism: Another benefit of integrated security systems is that you’ll have less burglary and less vandalism at your home or place of employment. As it is, many burglaries are impulsive and poorly executed. With that in mind, more than 50% of the intruders said they would discontinue the burglary if they discovered an alarm. Additionally, a study of convicted burglars found that 83% of offenders said they would look for an alarm at a home or a business before they attempt a burglary. Bottom line, if you want to stay safe, cameras and alarms are the way to go. They’ll help deter burglars and vandals and hopefully make them think twice about committing devious acts.
• Quick Response: When an integrated alarm system or commercial security system is triggered, authorities such as the police are alerted quickly. It’s estimated that police respond to 38 million alarm activations a year and most alarm systems have a built in delay before contacting your monitoring company; the delay time can range anywhere from 30 seconds to three minutes.
  If something does happen and your alarm system is triggered, a quick response time increases the likelihood that burglars and vandals will be caught. Without any kind of security system, you have absolutely no way of knowing when or if intruders are on your premises. Alarms and cameras help you rest easier knowing you’ve got tools to keep your possessions and loved ones safe.
• Insurance: Installing commercial security systems and business security systems put companies at lower risk for, vandalism, theft and burglary. If companies have proper protection and security, insurance companies are likely to offer lower rates because they’ve taken steps to make themselves less of a risk. Lower risk means lower premiums, which can positively affect your company’s bottom line.

No matter how safe or secluded you think your home or your workplace is, vandalism and theft can happen anytime, anywhere. Rather than living life looking over your shoulder or in constant fear that your life or loved ones are in danger, installing a video monitoring system and using home security solutions can give you the protection you’re looking for and exponentially increases your odds of staying safe.