Suggestions on How to Not Be a Statistic
I hope this never happens to any of you. I hope you never get to experience the fear and violation of a home invasion and robbery. But there are a few things that, as a victim of that experience, I'd like to suggest that you can do to help mitigate your risks. Admittedly, nothing is perfect and there is no such thing as a perfectly safe house or a guarantee that you will never experience this, but every little bit helps.
1) Look at your house. Pretend you are a robber. How would you get in? Do you have any bushes that are, while ornamental and pretty, too large and might conceal someone trying to break in? Do you have bushes around your house, serving as both privacy barriers and as concealment? I did - and they helped the robbers. Leave all approaches to your house open and well see-able. Windows and doors should be obvious and let your neighbours see who might be approaching your home.
2) Know your neighbours. The biggest issue I had was that while some of my neighbours did see the robbers, they didn't know if they belonged there or not. Your neighbourhood is one of the best ways to keep your home and yourself safe. Find a neighbour you trust and tell them who is allowed around your house - identify your friends and family. If someone comes by and acts suspiciously and isn't someone they know, they can call the police for you. Also, let your neighbours know when you're out of town. They can also keep an eye on things for you.
3) Do you have a routine? Do you go into work at the same time every day and come home about the same time, too? If you do, keep an eye around you when you leave for work and when you come back. Are there any cars or people you don't recognise around your neighbourhood? They could be casing the area, seeing who is the most vulnerable.
4) Inventory. Write down everything you've got and if it's electronics, write down serial numbers. Burn a copy of your inventory onto two disks. One goes into your safe. The other send to someone you trust.
5) Mark what you own. Etch in something like your driver's license number onto your electronics.
6) Get a safe. The Liberty line has some great safes and they insure it against someone trying to break in. Liberty will actually give you a new safe if someone does try. Keep all of your valuables inside the safe - jewelry, laptops, musical instruments, etc. There are some things you can't fit in the safe (i.e., TV) but we'll get to that.
7) If you have an LCD TV, mount it onto the wall. There are some types of brackets that can keep your TV secured to the wall and if robbers come in and don't know how the brackets work, they'll destroy the TV rather than manage to escape with it. Remember - better to deny someone your stuff than let them simply take it.
8) Get a security system. That can be a great deterrent, plus it means that with certain security systems someone is always monitoring so if your system is active, robbers will be less likely to break in. Additionally, security systems will save you money on your homeowner's insurance and they'll also be keeping an eye on whether a fire alarm goes off and can send the cops, police or medical people to your home as needed.
9) Keep your blinds closed. Don't let someone simply look into your house and see what sort of things you might own. While I did and it didn't deter my robbers, it's generally a good idea.
10) There are some coatings you can put on your windows that will make them more resistant to breakage. Making it more difficult for people to enter makes it more likely the robbers will be caught in the attempt
11) Have insurance - Renter's or Homeowner's - Believe you me, you'll need it. And, if available, get replacement cost insurance. You won't lose money that way.
12) Just because you live in a small town, or in the country, it doesn't mean that robbery is something that only happens in big cities and it'll never happen to you. Don't let yourself grow complacent. I did. Don't let it happen to you.
But, if it does happen to you, remember it's not your fault. You may blame yourself after it happens for not doing all you could to protect yourself and your property, but it's really not your fault. It's the fault of the bastards who violated your home. Hopefully, the cops will find the people who have stolen your property and the law will prosecute (though persecuting is good, too) them to the best of its ability.
1) Look at your house. Pretend you are a robber. How would you get in? Do you have any bushes that are, while ornamental and pretty, too large and might conceal someone trying to break in? Do you have bushes around your house, serving as both privacy barriers and as concealment? I did - and they helped the robbers. Leave all approaches to your house open and well see-able. Windows and doors should be obvious and let your neighbours see who might be approaching your home.
2) Know your neighbours. The biggest issue I had was that while some of my neighbours did see the robbers, they didn't know if they belonged there or not. Your neighbourhood is one of the best ways to keep your home and yourself safe. Find a neighbour you trust and tell them who is allowed around your house - identify your friends and family. If someone comes by and acts suspiciously and isn't someone they know, they can call the police for you. Also, let your neighbours know when you're out of town. They can also keep an eye on things for you.
3) Do you have a routine? Do you go into work at the same time every day and come home about the same time, too? If you do, keep an eye around you when you leave for work and when you come back. Are there any cars or people you don't recognise around your neighbourhood? They could be casing the area, seeing who is the most vulnerable.
4) Inventory. Write down everything you've got and if it's electronics, write down serial numbers. Burn a copy of your inventory onto two disks. One goes into your safe. The other send to someone you trust.
5) Mark what you own. Etch in something like your driver's license number onto your electronics.
6) Get a safe. The Liberty line has some great safes and they insure it against someone trying to break in. Liberty will actually give you a new safe if someone does try. Keep all of your valuables inside the safe - jewelry, laptops, musical instruments, etc. There are some things you can't fit in the safe (i.e., TV) but we'll get to that.
7) If you have an LCD TV, mount it onto the wall. There are some types of brackets that can keep your TV secured to the wall and if robbers come in and don't know how the brackets work, they'll destroy the TV rather than manage to escape with it. Remember - better to deny someone your stuff than let them simply take it.
8) Get a security system. That can be a great deterrent, plus it means that with certain security systems someone is always monitoring so if your system is active, robbers will be less likely to break in. Additionally, security systems will save you money on your homeowner's insurance and they'll also be keeping an eye on whether a fire alarm goes off and can send the cops, police or medical people to your home as needed.
9) Keep your blinds closed. Don't let someone simply look into your house and see what sort of things you might own. While I did and it didn't deter my robbers, it's generally a good idea.
10) There are some coatings you can put on your windows that will make them more resistant to breakage. Making it more difficult for people to enter makes it more likely the robbers will be caught in the attempt
11) Have insurance - Renter's or Homeowner's - Believe you me, you'll need it. And, if available, get replacement cost insurance. You won't lose money that way.
12) Just because you live in a small town, or in the country, it doesn't mean that robbery is something that only happens in big cities and it'll never happen to you. Don't let yourself grow complacent. I did. Don't let it happen to you.
But, if it does happen to you, remember it's not your fault. You may blame yourself after it happens for not doing all you could to protect yourself and your property, but it's really not your fault. It's the fault of the bastards who violated your home. Hopefully, the cops will find the people who have stolen your property and the law will prosecute (though persecuting is good, too) them to the best of its ability.