Prevention is the Key to Home Defense

While it may be all well and good to take all those self defense courses and have an arsenal of weapons stashed around the house, that may not be the home defense plan you have the time or the budget to implement. When it comes right down to it, do you really want to face an invader inside your home, even if you were armed and trained? Ideally you would want them to never step foot on your property in the first place. The main key to not being a victim is to not look like a victim. You can do this by portraying the image that you and your home won’t be easy to deal with.

There is one thing that all criminals have in common – they do not want to be caught. To this end, they generally will target those that they believe are defenseless. If you have a plan in place that not only lets them question whether they’ll get away with the goods but makes them concerned they’ll serve time for the deed when identified later, they’ll move on to another home.  

The biggest deterrent to home invasions and burglaries is to have a video surveillance system and make it obvious to those coming by that you have one. One of the biggest reasons why criminals have switched from robbing stores to robbing homes is that few homes have these systems while most every business does. You can make them think twice about robbing you because they do not want to be caught on camera.

Basic surveillance systems are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. One of the shortcomings of most of these systems is that the warning stickers they provide, if any at all, are generally not well constructed. They fade quickly and they often do not provide more than one or two. The good news, however, is that you can get other CCTV warning stickers that are of better quality, are eye catching, and come in multi-packs so you can place them in multiple locations. Quality Clever offers two different stickers that would be ideal for this purpose. Each has ten stickers and they have a UV protective layer so will stay vibrant longer.

The unique thing about high quality CCTV warning stickers is that they can be just as effective at deterring crime without going to the expense and hassle of getting a real surveillance system. When a criminal sees these signs yet doesn’t actually see any cameras, they may suspect there aren’t any cameras but they will also realize that they could be hidden. It just won’t be worth the risk to them. This is an incredibly inexpensive way to add a level of security to your home, even if you are implementing other methods as well.

One thing to consider when using warning stickers with no equipment to back them up is that it is important not to use ones that state a specific home security company. If you use ones that have a company logo on them, you could have some potential problems. First of all, you could get in trouble for using a copyrighted name and logo. Home security companies sometimes are fine with you “advertising” for them, but sometimes they are more concerned that you could experience a break-in and that would make their company look ineffective. Secondly, a savvy thief could do a bit of research and learn that you do not have an account with that company so then the cat would be out of the bag. For these reasons, a generic sign like those noted from Quality Clever are a far better option.

Another thing that you can do to make your home less of a target is to install motion detecting outdoor lights. Criminals like to work under cover of darkness, so having these lights around your property will definitely make them uneasy. Even if you do not have them all around your home, at least have them in places where a criminal could hide and would otherwise be unseen, especially from the street.

Speaking of hiding places, other thing to consider is to keep shrubbery and plants away from windows. Often a criminal will case out your home prior to robbing it and they love landscaping that hides them while they are checking things out. They want to be able to see what belongings you have and may even watch your routines. You should be especially careful with children’s windows as not all criminals are intent on stealing your belongings, some have more nefarious acts in mind.

There is one last thing that burglars are not fond of – dogs. While the cost over a lifetime of having a dog may be higher than that of a basic security system, the rewards are greater also. Not only do you have a reliable deterrent for keeping your family safe, but you also gain loyalty, love and companionship. If you want to keep costs down, go with a smaller breed that requires less food because even a small dog’s bark is something a criminal will take note of and likely move on to a home that only has goldfish.

Having a strategy for the prevention of crime is an important part of keeping your family safe and avoiding an insurance claim. If you are like most people, your insurance policy deductible would make it costly to replace your belongings, and no amount of insurance can restore your peace of mind after a burglary anyhow. By taking steps to show would-be criminals that they run a high risk by entering your home, you are far less likely to be targeted. Even if your budget will only goes as far as warning stickers, start with that right away as this step alone can reduce your chance of invasion by as much as 80%. If you don’t look like a victim, your chances of being one drop considerably.