While we never think about it, we can be a victim of crime at any time. With so many people out of work, many are resorting to crime to pay the bills. The question is not will you be a victim, rather when will it be your turn?
A great website to bookmark is The Crime Doctor, who has an interesting article on protecting your family during a home invasion robbery. Many great points are brought up that you should burn to memory.
Residential robberies usually occur during the day when no one is home and the signs are there that a burglar is looking for. They work alone and are quickly in and out.
There are many things you can do to discourage burglars:
Alarm signs around your yard
Alarm decals on your windows
Bars on windows
Locked gates
Good exterior lighting to see who is there
Strong doors, locks, and strike plates
Barking dogs
Good neighbors who can keep an eye out
Home invasion robberies are different and you should be ready for such an attack. Many types of people are candidates, single women, elderly people, wealthy people, drug dealers, or business owners. They might follow you home, or they might be waiting at your home or business.
They usually work at night and weekends, under the cover of darkness and when someone is home. They work in teams and overwhelm you with violence, fear, and aggressive action that could hurt or kill you.
You have about 60 seconds to repel the attack, otherwise your chances of emerging safely decrease as the time goes by. There was a recent movie with two yuppie college boys who did just this. They would be seen at a house by the neighbors, before the struggle with the owners, then they would bound them and hold them hostage.
Will you be ready to repel the attack? You should plan this through before you are caught with your pants down. There are many products you can use to prevent or repel the attacks, or at least slow them down.
Your first line of defense should be an outdoor motion detection system that will alert you when someone comes onto your property. The Voice Alert Driveway And Home Alarm System is an inexpensive perimeter security system that blankets an area with invisible infrared sensors. When someone crosses in front of them, the sensors send a signal to the base station that has pre-recorded alerts that identify where on your property the sensor is activated. Set up one for the front yard or driveway, one for the backyard or gate, one by your side door and one by the garage.
As mentioned before, bars on the widows will prevent them from coming in through a window. Thick, solid doors with no window inserts and one or two sturdy dead bolts will prevent most doors from being kicked in. The inside door lock should be a key and not a knob, as they can be quickly opened to let in the rest of the attackers.
If you don’t want to live in a prison, you can get inexpensive window breakage detectors like the Mace Window Alert Window Alarm that will sound a loud alarm if the window is broken open.
Inside the house, or if you live in an apartment, there are other motion detection devices like the Mace Motion Alert that will alert you and the police when there is movement. Several motion detectors will blanket a room with an invisible field and if anyone crosses it, it will activate a loud alarm.
Even better are motion detectors with auto dialers that will automatically call a series of pre-programed numbers, and some have loud alarms that will alert the neighbors. Some popular ones are the Cybereye ECHO, which is a silent alarm motion and fire detector that will call up to 5 numbers and depending on if it’s motion or fire, call the police or fire department.
One better is the Mace Wireless Home Security System, which comes with door and window sensors that send a signal to a base station that then sounds a loud alarm and calls a series of phone numbers, including the police.
These are great products to have if you are home, or even on vacation.
The next step is a safe room that has a reinforced entry, is stocked with food, water, weapons, communication devices, and a breathing device should tear gas, pepper spray, or other gas be forced into the room.
However, none of this stuff will do you any good if you keep your windows or doors open or unlocked. You need to educate yourself and your family and practice what you would do when there is a knock at the door, or when there is a loud bang at the door, or a window is broken.
Other good tips are use your doors peephole, or install a peephole door camera so you can see it from the living room or the office. Call the police if you see suspicious figures and let your neighbors know if a shady person comes to your door that you don’t trust.
A good video surveillance system for indoor and outdoor is also beneficial. You can find complete 1 camera self contained video recording systems hidden inside everyday electronics devices for your home, as well as 1-4 camera video surveillance systems to monitor the inside and outside of your home or property.
Our next installment will focus on how to prepare for and repel the home invasion robbers should they get into our home.
Take the Me out of crime…
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Sparky the Stun Gun
Self Defense Products Expert
DefendThyself.com/MaceHomeSecuritySystem
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