When asked about home invasions, the average person conjures up images of criminals fighting through doors and windows. The Internet is full of home security videos that show criminals taking crow bars to windows and boots to doors. Unfortunately, many home invasions occur simply because the homeowner has let their guard down.
An example of this would be the homeowner that lets a stranger into the home because the stranger says he is with the water company. People see a nice uniform and a hat with a logo on it and don’t bother to question whether the man really is who he says he is. As soon as a person finds his way into the homeowner’s house, he can then have his way with it. The neighbors won’t think anything of this, because all they saw was a homeowner letting a man with a uniform into the house. Even the best list of alarm companies review isn’t going to help a homeowner that lets the home invader into the home unchallenged.
The proper response in this situation should have been for the homeowner to ask for the man’s name and identification. Once you have this information, go ahead and make a call to the company he claims to be from. This could even be done through a security door, a door with a chain lock latched, or even through a peephole and a mail slot. Getting this information behind a locked door ensures that the intruder can’t just push his way in. Also, it gives you time to push the panic button on your wireless home alarm company reviews if the intruder does try to break his way in.
Another problem many homeowner’s have is losing communication while being invaded. After self-defense weapons, a person’s primary form of protection is to call for help. However, many people do not keep a phone near them at night and therefore cannot call for help. An easy way to fix this problem is to keep a cell phone next to the bed. As soon as your alarm goes off, you can simply check your cameras to see if someone is attempting an invasion. Once you see that you are indeed being invaded, call 911.
In addition to these easy methods for increasing your situational awareness, you should also consider the visibility of your valuables. Many crimes are crimes of convenience caused by homeowners that have encouraged thieves to strike. People that leave valuables in plain site are just asking to be robbed. A kleptomaniac will not be able to resist the site of a nice cell phone or wallet sitting on a table near an open window. Make sure you keep your valuables away from your windows and your blinds shut. This will ensure that thieves are not tempted to break into your home to take your stuff.
As you can see, there are many steps you can take to increase your home security. These are simple steps and they are all about increasing your awareness of mistakes you may be making. Its hard for good people to think like thieves, but it is imperative that we do.