A trick that probably saved me from losing a lot of stuff recently - 2 1/2 or 3 inch screws. Replace both screws in the strike plates with these. The short screws that come with the lock are next to useless. The longer screws go thru the door frame casing and into the framing, making that part of the lock very strong. Replace at least one, if not two, of the hinge screws on each hinge also. On the door itself, replace the short screws with longer screws, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches, depending on door type.

CAUTION: Don't overtighten, you can take the frame out of plumb. Use a level when doing this to make sure the door frame stays plumb.

On my front door, if they had kicked a few more times, maybe the door itself would have failed. The door was cracked, but held. As it was, they moved to the back door and kicked until the door itself, not the locks, failed.

The alarm did scare them off. No one entered the house, nothing taken. Except a $1200 insurance claim to replace the doors and locks.

Newer doors going in today - never knew it took so long. Alarm system upgrade is this week also.