When it comes to protecting your home, there are many things you can do to prevent crime and deter a burglar from sneaking around your home while you’re away. Tidying up your home’s exterior and remembering to lock doors at all times are two simple things to start! Below are a few more steps to take.
Crime Prevention Using Landscape
Not only is a well-landscaped home with exterior lighting very pleasing to the eye, but it also makes a home very unattractive to a potential burglar. Exterior lighting and good landscaping can make it difficult to operate in darkness and remain undetected.
Put a Dog Bowl on the Back Porch
Even if you don’t have a dog. It sounds silly but the burglar doesn’t know if you do or do not have a dog. All you need is to put doubt in the burglar’s mind. The bigger the bowl the better.
Post a Surveillance Sign
Better yet, set up cameras to monitor your property. Security cameras are a big deterrent for thieves and allow you to check in on your home and property in real-time.
Plant Thorny Shrubs Near Exterior Windows
The thorns can act as a deterrent for anyone trying to enter through ground floor windows.
Neighbors Are a Vital Part of Any Safe Home
Keeping our homes safe often takes more than we can do by ourselves. Know the value of neighbors taking care of neighbors.
Neighbors Help Monitor Your Surroundings
Good neighbors can help you stay on top of what’s happening around your home even if you aren’t home. A helpful neighbor will notice if something doesn’t seem right or is unusual at your home.
Trust Your Neighbor
Getting to know your neighbors and familiarizing yourself with people who come and go in your neighborhood is a good way to build trust and stay on top of any suspicious activity.
Report Strange Activity
Go beyond protecting your home by protecting your neighborhood. A neighborhood watch can be a great way to supplement your home security by relying on one another to call, text, or message each other (or the police) if something strange is going on.
Regularly Invite People Over
You can lower your risk of becoming a property crime target by regularly having people over. If an intruder knows you typically have a busy home, they are less likely to attempt to enter.
Monitor Your Home Security System
Surprised by this one? You shouldn’t be. We are your neighbors too, and we take care of our neighborhoods. Neighbors provide the best security. Speak to a trusted retired senior citizen or stay-at-home parent in your neighborhood and ask them to keep an eye on your home while you are at work. Be sure to periodically do small favors for your “human burglar alarm” such as delivering plates of homemade cookies or running errands for them.
There isn’t one tip or combination of tips that are 100% burglar-proof, but the more difficult you can make a burglar’s life, the greater chance you have of keeping your property secure.
Categories: Burglary