Specialty bullet-resistant curtains (“bulletproof blinds”) exist that can be hung inside a window unobtrusively.

Security film will stop people from breaking windows easily. It will not stop an intended intrusion (or bullets). Use bricks, plywood, or sheet steel if you have it.

window protection, suburban homes are limited by HOAs, code enforcement, and what the neighbors might think, so while 3M security film is great for everybody and attractive too,

no one is going to steal the ax sitting in the wood chopping stump. Don’t give bad guys any help getting in. ​Doorways should have motion lights to identify anyone who comes to the door at night.

Remove any ladders or tools from outdoors and store those items indoors.

Cars, whether parked in a garage or outside, should always be locked. Consider removing the batteries from cars that aren’t needed to prevent auto theft.

A thief should not be able to get into an outbuilding except through destructive entry and preferably setting off an alarm in the process.

This means lights over entrances, locking the doors, and reinforcing windows.

In Rhodesia this was often a six-foot chainlink fence which probably is not practical or desirable for most people.