((((Mr. V)))) Ugh! that is really scary! I am sorry you are feeling unsafe. Even though our neighborhood is fairly safe, we do see a rash of burglaries around the holidays (you mean burglary, and not robbery, right?)

Echos and Sparrow gave some great tips!

My friend is a detective, and I asked him to come over to scope out my place (do a "walk thru"). I think you mentioned your local law enforcement is rather far away, but can you call and ask them to do one for you? They have a trained eye so they know what to look for and will give you a list of where (if you need to) improve.

I also found a bunch of great tips online through the DOJ website and via several local law enforcement websites.

The one thing that I keep hearing over and over lately is to not announce your travel plans on social sites.

Best wishes to you! Please let us know how it goes