HOME SECURITY: OVERVIEW
How to Outsmart the Five Types of Home Intruders
Here, all home intrusions are now classified into five basic types so you can easily understand and implement home security.
Common security gaps lead to more than 4,500 home intrusions every day in the U.S. – either by sneakily quiet burglars or violent invaders. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that up to 30 percent of all homes will be burgled or invaded in the next 20 years.
Yet many people are casual both in their behavior and in fortifying their homes with hardware and electronics. They rely on sheer luck that their common security gaps and overlooked hardware will always protect them. “Hey, it’s a safe neighborhood. Nothing ever happens around here.”
Harold Preston is now locking his doors after one of his neighbors, a woman living alone, was severely beaten and robbed when a stranger walked in. Neighbors can't believe it happened – not in their sleepy little town near Ottawa where nobody bothers to lock their doors.
HOME INVASIONS
Criminals usually avoid occupied homes but some actually want you at home so they can get your wallet, car keys, and hidden caches – making home invasions more lucrative than street robberies and more violent. Vicious predators, knowing that the home itself hides their crime from neighbors and passersby, often become frenzied with power; terrorizing, raping, torturing. However....
Burglaries/Invasions are the most PREVENTABLE of ALL Crimes
To add to the familiar police terms of Break-In, Walk-In, and Push-In, I’ve identified two new categories: Scam-In and Mug-In – as shown below:
ALL HOME SECURITY
• Break-In - most homes are easy to invade. Learn what burglars hunt for.
• Walk-In - most home intrusions are through unlocked doors!
• Push-In - blindly opening the door if someone knocks. Instead, always first use a peephole and/or intercom to know who is knocking.
• Scam-In - believing a stranger's clever scam and opening your door (even an inch - see Push-In above). Never allow a stranger to enter.
• Mug-In - how to avoid an ambush outside your home and ordered inside.
• Cracks in Security - subtle variations of the five types of home intrusions.
• College - Apartment & Dormitory Security - how to stay safe despite careless roommates.
• Apartment Security - how renters can stay safe. FAQ
• Good Neighbors - another layer of home protection.
• Burglary Prevention - what burglars hope you don't know. FAQ
• Home Safety Tips - what to do when your doorbell rings.
• Home Intercom System - stay safe when strangers knock on your door.
• Peepholes - know who's knocking on your door before you open it.
• Safe Room - where to go in a home invasion.
• Security Products Overview
• Recap - a quick summary of this entire section.
Safeguard your home security even if you live in Sleepy Valley - predators like to prowl where the prey least expect them.
Prevent the vast majority of home intrusions - whether by burglar or invader by making sure all your family members use these strategies. Of course, predators will always find prey – but the most cautious targets will most likely be spared.
