Halloween is just around the corner and with it comes the misadventures of troubled youth. In other words, homeowners should prepare for pranks. While not all incidents are dangerous or damaging, many people vandalize houses on Halloween to get in touch with their inner demon.

Homeowners that plan ahead can keep their pumpkins intact, their trees free of toilet paper, their homes safe from youngsters with spraypaint and their stoops free of ding-dong-ditchers with flaming bags of you-know-what. By deploying a cost-effective security system, individuals can gain several extra senses to keep the malicious monsters at bay.

To see, or not to see
Staying true to the Halloween fashion, homeowners should grow an extra set of eyes. While these may not necessarily spawn from an individual's forehead, they can be deployed throughout a home in the form of video surveillance cameras.

Although monitoring the front doorway for young trick-or-treaters may deter some pranksters from entering a homeowner's property with ill intent, it may not keep the most daring individuals at bay. Furthermore, many of the crimes that take place on Halloween occur late at night when normal people are sleeping. For these reasons, homeowners should consider installing high-definition or night-vision cameras to monitor their property late at night when the real ghouls come out.

Locking out little monsters
While surveillance cameras can help local law enforcement officers identify and locate criminals in the wake of a crime, other solutions like motion detectors can alert homeowners of anyone invading their property late at night. By using motion detection systems, individuals can catch would-be vandals in the act by sending a silent alarm to police officers and waking sleeping residents.

Additionally, homeowners may consider hiring a professional locksmith to change the locks on garages and front doors that may be broken into on All Hallow's Eve.

While Halloween can be fun, it is also notorious for encouraging people to commit pranks that can turn vindictive in a heartbeat. Taking this into account, homeowners should stock up on security solutions as well as candy so they can deter criminals from vandalizing their home or ransacking their goody bags.

Being prepared is the best way to keep unwanted intruders at bay.