Without a doubt, home invasions can be traumatic even when only a few garden tools were taken.
The sheer thought of a burglar prowling on your property without you detecting his or her presence is galling enough, but what if something else more extreme happened afterwards? These days, it really pays to be ready for such contingencies, especially if you are at home with your family and that you are taking care of very young kids.
Protecting your home from burglars does not need to be an expensive affair, but you might want to alert everyone in your home about the roles they should play in case unfortunate incidences happen.
Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
1.
Advise everyone in your home what they should do and not do to attract potential break-ins.
For starters, instruct your kids on how not to provide information (vacation plans, what time the family usually goes to bed, how many people are in the house, etc.
) to people you do not really trust explicitly.
Instruct them on how to deal with people who comes knocking on your door, from the survey-taker to cleaners; most especially with people who chat them up casually on the street.
2.
Make sure you have pertinent emergency numbers taped on a visible surface.
If you have a land line phone connection, tape the number on the phone itself or on the nearest wall.
If your kids are carrying cells, make sure that they have the emergency numbers on their phone books.
911 is easy enough to remember, but you should also have the numbers of the nearest neighbors (the ones you are most likely to go to for help,) the local neighborhood watch mobile, a relative or friend living in town, or anyone else who might respond to your SOS call.
3.
Speaking of 911, you might want to train your kids on how to place a call.
Panicking will only delay help, and the more time you repeat useless information to the dispatcher, the longer you feel helpless and place yourself in danger.
Here is the fastest way to place a call.
State your emergency as soon as the dispatcher answers.
Give your name and your address and make sure you speak very, very clearly.
Tell the dispatcher if there are other family members or friends in the house, and where they may be and what they may be doing at the moment.
Indicate also if you think that the intruder is still on the property.
Above all, listen and follow the dispatcher's instructions.
4.
Having ample lighting in and around your property is one of the best ways to deter potential break-ins.
Make sure that you provide illumination especially on doorways and other possible entryways (garden gate, shed gate, garage door, French windows, etc.
) If a bulb burns out, replace these immediately.
Make sure also that you have one or two lights on when you leave the house, especially if you are not hiring a house sitter for the time being.
5.
Incredibly, many burglars walk into houses with unlocked doors and windows.
So lock up at night and make sure that you check each and every lock that you have.
Install deadbolts on your doors.
If possible, install secured fasteners on your windows, especially if your family tends to leave these partially open at night.
Place any barrier (wood or metal pipe) on the floor casing of your sliding doors to stop burglars from jimmying up the door.