Diversion Safes

Diversion safes won't stop burglars from entering your home. What they will do, however, is help you guard your valuables in the event that they (the thieves, that is) manage to defeat your alarm system and scour your home for cash, jewelry, and other items of value. All it takes to thwart a determined intruder is a little reverse psychology, so go ahead put your valuables out in plain view.

No, that doesn't mean you ought to leave stacks of cash lying on your floor or furs and family heirlooms spread across your kitchen counter. Rather, try using everyday items such as food cans, flower pots, and books to camouflage your valuables. Fortunately, security products companies manufacture a full line of these red herrings, from tennis ball cans to candles.

The Scent Goes Cold

Crime bureaus estimate that burglars, on average, spend nearly 10 minutes ravaging homes in search of big-ticket items. By keeping your cash, bonds, and gems in the back of your closet or under your bed, you may be helping thieves locate these goodies even faster. No sane criminal will think to pull apart the leather-bound tomes sitting on your bookshelf or disassemble your table lamp in his hunt for loot. He'll go straight for the most obvious destinations--your closet, your nightstand, your dresser, and so on.

It's remarkable that in this age of technologically superior alarm systems a 10- or 12-dollar device can prove far more effective than a thousand-dollar security plan. Even homes under full-time remote surveillance are ripe targets for thieves, who don't necessarily know they're being monitored from afar. Thus, the amount of money you spend on a security program may not directly correlate with the level of security you attain, which is why inexpensive solutions such as diversion safes make such great investments.