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It's the end of the summer and many are off on their final fling for the year. Homes in Honolulu and all parts of Hawaii have various vulnerable points of entry for the unscrupulous visitor. Here is a list of some areas for you to check and some suggestions to make your house more secure.

1. Check your exterior. With Hawaii's tropical beauty comes large plantings around your home. Are doors or windows hidden behind large plants? Trim up and clean out the plantings so that there is a clear view to doors and windows. Nosy Auntie across the street can save your home when she can see some stranger trying to bust the door.

(Hint: termites love the trail from the plants to your walls. Make sure plants are not touching the walls of your home - solution? Put plants in large pot arrangements and place on rock beds close to the house. Leave the big bushes and trees away from the house.)

2. Doors: 
Front doors, especially in older homes, may not have proper locks. A dead bolt that connects to a plate that is bolted through the framing into the stud is a minimum requirement for any entry door, even the one in the garage (if you're lucky enough to have an enclosed garage) into the house. The little door lock in the knob is inadequate for any exterior door. If your exterior doors are not solid or steel, think about replacing them. If you live in a condo or area with high traffic and want to leave your front door open for the tradewinds, get a security screen door that has a frame with four inch screws, screwed into the studs around your door. 

When you leave the house, make sure the garage door is all the way down and not left cracked for air (or that unscrupulous visitor to access the machinery of your garage door opener). If you're leaving on vacation, disable the automatic door opener and lock the door mechanism. 

Sliding doors on the lanai (patio to you mainlanders) are easily blocked from opening by placing wooden dowels cut to size on the interior rail when the doors are closed and locked. Mine are even painted the same color as the door trim. 

While that is most practical when you are going to be gone for a long period, when you are in and out make sure you lock the lanai doors - and check the locks. I have a lanai door, relatively new, that the plate where the lock slips in sometimes slides down and the door does not actually lock. I check it every time to make sure the lock is functioning. 

3. Windows
Many if not most of the homes in Honolulu, Kailua, Kaneohe, Ewa Beach, Lanikai, Pearl City and all cities of Hawaii have jalousie windows. Older homes have aluminum holders for the glass which are easily bent and glass can be easily removed. Most windows not visible from the street are vulnerable to break-ins. Think about covering the windows with decorative wrought iron security covers, that still let the air and light in while protecting your interior from our mauka and windward morning and evening showers. Or replace the holders with vinyl holders that have locking mechanisms and are harder to remove glass from. Only problem is you can't leave the windows open for air.

Mainland type up and down slider windows can have a security pin inserted into the frame to prevent the window from being moved. Side to side sliders can use the same dowel method as used with the lanai doors as well as many come with a built in window lock.

Check that garage window too, make sure there is at least security screening on the window area.

As with any security precautions for your home in Honolulu and Hawaii, we want to make it too much trouble for da bad guy to break in to your home. So check your exterior, doors, and windows; lock up tight and go Holo-Holo!