Burglary Prevention:
Home Defense FAQ
Burglary is the most preventable of crimes. Simply make your home the least burglar-attractive – and most burglar-proof – in your neighborhood.
Burglars Look for Advantages
► Most burglars enter through unlocked (or weak) doors or windows.
► Anything to help them climb to a less secure window, such as tree limbs or standing on patio furniture, or garbage cans to climb higher.
► Hiding spots provided by shrubbery, flimsy enclosed porches, privacy fences and walls, or unlighted areas.
► An attached garage is a bonanza if it’s easy to get into. Hidden from a neighbor's view, they can penetrate the door to your house.
► Screens are easy to slice to unlock a door or climb through a window.
► Homes without a dog or nosy neighbors.
► Secluded homes without especially extensive security products.
► Noises (such as heavy traffic) help prowlers.
► Doors or windows not visible to neighbors or passersby.
Burglars avoid lighted areas, but can unscrew the bulbs if within reach.
The most important burglary prevention improvements are fortified doors and windows, good outdoor security lighting, and burglar alarms.
Btw, females commit ~20% of violent crimes (per the FBI). Some may seem friendly at first, commit crimes alone, or in groups, or help male partners. So evaluate ALL strangers by their behavior and red flags.
The Family Watchdog: A Living Alarm System
A dog is a mobile sensor that can:
► Hear sounds before a human can.
► Detect scents of a stranger.
► Deter burglars - most will skip a house if they hear barking.
You do not need an aggressive "attack dog" to be safe. In fact, for most homeowners, an overly aggressive dog is a liability.
► Even a small dog can alert you.
► Most adult dogs from animal shelters are protective of their new home.
► A great watchdog is friendly to your friends and neighbors, and a vigilant sentry when necessary.
Read Adopt the Perfect Dog: A Practical Guide to Choosing and Training an Adult Dog by Gwen Bailey. It focuses on finding a dog that fits your lifestyle.
Home Defense
Home defense needs Security Products - Door Reinforcement (including Peepholes and doorbell intercoms at Home Intercom System to help prevent Push-Ins) and Security Products - Window Reinforcement.
How to make a Safe Room
A Safe Room is usually a fortified master bedroom or a large closet - to keep you safe while waiting for the police to arrive. You need:
► A solid-wood door: most interior doors are hollow and easily broken. Replace yours with a solid-core wood door. See Security Products - Door
► Reinforced strike plates: Using six-inch screws to anchor your heavy-duty strike plate (and your hinges) through the door frame and into the wall stud makes the door very difficult to break through.
► Keep a cell phone and flashlight near your bed.
When to Retreat vs. When to Protect
► If you are alone, go to your Safe Room, lock the door, and call the police.
► Move any family members to the Safe Room.
► Never “hunt” a burglar. A cornered criminal is dangerous. Stay inside your Safe Room until police arrive. Fight only if you must – in self-defense - or to save your loved ones. See Survival Options - Overview.
Summary
► Walk around your home - inside and outside - looking for weak points. See Home Security - Overview.
► Reinforce doors and windows. See Security Products - Door Reinforcement.
► Ensure everyone in your household follows these strategies.
NOTICE: This non-profit website is for informational purposes only and is drawn from the bibliography and USDOJ. Use the information at your own risk. See disclaimers.
Crime-Safety-Security > Home Security Overview > Burglary Prevention
