Picture this. You just sat down for a nice meal with your family. It is a lovely spring evening, so you decide to leave the sliding door open, to let the cool air in. You are chatting and enjoying your dinner, it never even crosses your mind that you could be in danger. Suddenly, a stranger slips in through the open door. A desperate, violent man, armed and strung out on drugs appears within seconds, snatches your keys off the table and slips away in your vehicle.
Luckily, it was just the car that was stolen, and not your life. Now, doesn't this scenario make you think? What more could you do to improve your home security to make sure something like this never happens to you?
17 simple strategies you can implement now to improve your home security
Get a guard dog. A barking dog is a good first line of defense. Thieves will be less likely to target your home if they see a beware of dog sign on your property.
Let would-be intruders know that your property is protected by a security system. Daring thieves will think twice if they know a security system is set up on your property. A camera, whether real or fake, can deter a criminal plot. Get a sign that lets thieves know that you are armed.
Have firearm(s) accessible. The only way to confront an irrational meth-head, who is willing to kill, is to have sufficient firepower to take them down if need be. Make firearms accessible to you in hiding places throughout your home. If you have to confront a murderous threat, be ready to show force, perhaps with a large revolver or a twelve gauge shotgun. Baseball bats can work too, but make sure they can't use your weapon against you.
Reinforce your locks and use them. Keep your vehicle doors locked. Thieves will pull on door handles to see if they can quickly grab some free items. Reinforce the short screws in your home door locks and use stronger screws in the door frames. If you have a sliding screen door, use a floor lock bar for reinforcement. Also, if you keep your doors unlocked at certain times, don’t let the neighborhood know if and when. It doesn’t matter how nice of a person you are, psychopaths will try to take advantage of naivety.
If you leave your home, keep a light or two on. Thieves will prey on an empty house, but if they suspect someone is home, they will most likely move on to the next home. Install motion lights for areas outside. Decorate your landscaping with solar lights to keep the perimeter of your home lit up at night.
Don’t advertise when you’re going to be on vacation. Criminals can easily get on Facebook and find out when people are going to be out of town or at an event. Don’t give your location away online. Only let trusted people know when you are going to be away from home for an extended period.
If you don’t own or like firearms, don’t brag about it online. If you don’t like guns and prefer to let the police handle your security, don’t espouse your anti-gun views online. Criminals may see you as an easy target and could easily raid your home because they know you are vulnerable.
Make entry points noisy. Hang noisy bells over your doors and equip windows with alarms. If someone does come through, you will have an audible warning and can take action sooner. The noise may startle them and make them run away, too.
Secure your valuables in unexpected places. Your valuables, cash, and weapons are better kept in unconventional hiding places. If a thief gets in when you aren’t home, they will check the obvious places for your valuables first, such as nightstands and closets.
Prepare false loot. If thieves manage to take control of you, lead them to false loot in a small safe. Make them believe you are giving up all your valuables. This small safe could include supplies and a stack of cash (small bills) that you could easily part with, if it means saving your own life.
Don’t hide spare keys in obvious places. Find a creative place to hide your spare keys. Don’t hide them under outdoor rugs and false rocks. Think outside the box.
Be aware of hiding places around your property and mitigate them. To prevent being mugged when leaving your home, be aware of places where thieves could hide and pounce.
Prepare a safe room in your home. You could build a false wall or a false bookshelf that leads into a closet. Fortify your safe room with weaponry in case you have to mount an attack. Have a means of communication in there, too.
Use a PO Box to keep your important mail safe. A PO Box can keep important mail secure and provide an extra layer of privacy for your most sensitive material.
Prepare a list of your critical assets, with pictures. If belongings are stolen from your home, it will be easier to make an insurance claim if you have a photo record of every asset, including serial numbers.
Be on good terms with your neighbors. Your neighbors could spot an intruder that you didn’t see coming. Your neighbors could save your life if they are paying attention and care enough about you. So stay on good terms with your neighbors and show mutual respect. I’ll never forget the neighbors who rushed over to tell me that someone had just taken off with my vehicle. I was able to call 9-1-1 in time to get the meth-head arrested and my vehicle back before it was too late.
For more personal security tips, visit Preparedness.news.
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