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Home Safety - Protect your home from thieves

Your home is a place of safety, more than a house, but a center of your life. You are careful about where you go and what you do in your daily life so that you never put yourself or your family in harms way, but what about when harm and danger comes lurking into your life? You don’t often think about safety in your home until it is too late. You might not lock your doors now because you think you don’t have anything of value, but what happens if it all disappeared? Wouldn’t you feel violated? What would you do if you walked into your home and you thought someone had been there? 

While I don’t mean to scare you really, I do want you to be prepared before it happens, to prevent it from happening and to learn what to do if it really does happen to you – thieves and burglars are everywhere but you can beat them at their own game. 

First thing, let’s talk about the many ways that you can secure your home when you are gone. When you are out of the house your windows and doors should always be locked. You might know your neighbors and live in a good neighborhood, but these are the same neighborhoods that can be attacked by burglars. You might not know who is driving down the street all the time, they see your house empty all the time at the same time every day – you are a target. Yes, a thief is going to get in no matter what if they really want in, but you don’t have to make it easy for them. Use your locks, and get better locks if you don’t feel that your windows and doors lock properly. 

Another thing that you should keep in mind, no matter what neighborhood you live in, or how close your neighbors are, is that you should have drapes, curtains, and sheers or pull down shades on your windows. You would never know if you someone if watching your home unless you have cameras facing out and recording all the time. You can live in your home without the worry of someone peering in and seeing ‘what valuables’, you have when you cover your windows. At very least your basement and first floor windows should be covered and secure. 

In the midst of suspicion and while you go about your daily life, there are a few other things that you might want to be aware of as well. In the middle of the summer months, air conditioners are a very prevalent thing to see, but what you might not realize is that all a burglar has to do is push your window up and push the air conditioner out of the way to get in your house. I know, you are sitting there thinking I am actually telling burglars how to get in, but this is something that many insurance companies are actually trying to spread the word about so your home doesn’t become victimized because of. If you live on the first floor, and you have an air conditioner, make sure the lip of the window is tight and secure to the air conditioner. Then, put a stick, a metal rod is best on the top portion of the window along the frame so that there is no way that the window is going to move without removing that stick – preventing the break in. 

Do you think your doors shut tight and your home is safe when you leave during the day? Do you often stand on the inside of your home and feel a draft, meaning your door is not completely shut tight so you walk over, lean on the door and you can hear it latch? This door is another area where you need to work on protecting your home. If you were to walk out the door, and even though you locked the door, it is not securely latched tight. Have your door frame, lock and the hardware on your door fixed so that it locks tight every time it is shut because if you don’t your door is more susceptible to being kicked or pushed in without much effort. 

Even after you have secured your home, been at work all day, been on vacation for a week, or maybe you just ran to the grocery store and came home only to find that your door is standing open or your window is broken – what are you going to do? The first thing you should do is call the police. Don’t touch anything, and don’t go through the house to see what is all wrong until the police get there. If you have interrupted a thief or burglar, they might be apt to harm you so that they don’t get caught. 

Keep in mind, if you have a camera phone, a camera, a cell phone or what ever it might be, you can use this as evidence if you do see anyone strange coming and going from your home while you are waiting for the police. Are there cars that are parked by your home that don’t belong there – get the license plate if at all possible. While it is difficult to remember all of this at the same time when your nerve are running rampant because of the break in – if you do succeed in catching a thief because of this little ‘moment’ and ‘memory’ it will all be worth it in the end.