Securing Your Home Through Deterrents
For the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing the various aspects of home security and how the security-conscious homeowner can apply them. As our final piece in this series, we’re going to examine a few proven deterrents that prevent criminals from even considering your home as a potential target to begin with. In both statistical and practical terms, most crimes are crimes of opportunity, and petty theft and burglary are even more likely to be so than most other types of crime. This is important to keep in mind as a homeowner, because with a few simple additions to your home you can deter would-be burglars and make your property a much less appealing target.
Scientific studies as well as interviews with convicted and/or former burglars have shown time and time again that criminals with this specific occupation prefer easy targets, minimal risk, and a low likelihood of confrontation. Therefore, any aspect of your home that increases risk for them makes it a less appealing target. While some property characteristics, such as proximity to heavily-trafficked roads or neighbors (criminals hate being seen, after all), aren’t really something a homeowner can change once they own the property, you can keep these things in mind as you search for a home when you’re in the market for one. Beyond that, there are a few things you can do relatively easily to your own property to deter burglars.
Visibility
For most criminals, the ability to operate without being seen by anyone who may raise an alarm is highly prized, so you don’t want to make it easy for them to enter your home discreetly. While you may not be able to change the flow of traffic around your property to deter burglars, you can make it harder for them to break into your home without being seen. Consider removing bushes that may cover windows or screen a criminal as they attempt to enter a back door. We all love privacy fences, but you should weigh their benefits against the risk that they may provide cover for an opportunistic thief to enter your home without being seen. It should go without saying that street lamps (which you can buy and install yourself), floodlights, and porch lights all contribute to a criminal’s decision to not target your home, especially given that some prefer to operate under cover of darkness.
Don’t Provide an Easy Escape Route
Most convicted burglars say the ease with which they can potentially escape unseen is a considerable factor in their decision to target a property. We mentioned visibility as a factor just a moment ago, and the same is true for a burglar’s exit plan: if a criminal sees a relatively easy way to escape unseen, they’re more likely to target that property. However, would-be criminals also weigh the risks of confrontation and usually seek a way to escape in order to avoid being caught. Locking gates for your driveway, fences, and other obstacles can deter burglars from targeting your home for the sole reason that they may not have an easy means of escape should something unplanned happen, such as being confronted by a neighbor or the homeowner.
Alarm Signs
When you install an alarm system in your home (which, if you’ve been reading this series so far, you should definitely do), the provider often supplies you with signs to place in your window or on your lawn. While the assumed purpose of alarms is to sound off when someone makes an unauthorized entry into your home, they actually accomplish far more as a deterrent. As we’ve said, most criminals prefer easy targets. The presence of an alarm is a challenge to them and they’ll likely decline to target an alarm-equipped home, thus preventing a burglary before it happens.
Dogs
We all love our furry, tail-wagging companions. They’re loyal, fun, friendly, and most are fiercely protective of their owners and their homes. Dogs are a unique part of our evolution because of their own instincts and social structure, and owning one – even if it’s not a fierce guard-dog – is a security asset to any home. We’re not saying that getting a dog is a viable security feature to replace all others, because it’s not; what counts is that even the friendliest of dogs will still bark at intruders out of pure instinct, and it’s important to remember that a criminal may not know the golden retriever who sleeps at the foot of your children’s beds wouldn’t hurt a fly. To them, a dog is a collection of teeth who may not fear them if confronted, and it makes their job harder at the very least. No one wants to be bitten or even take the risk, which is why convicted burglars consistently say they would rather target a home without a dog. Think of your family dog as an alarm system that needs to be fed, walked, and petted. They’re a lot more fun, too!
Neighborhood Watch Signs
Consider forming a neighborhood watch with your neighbors. It’s an informal agreement in which everyone agrees to report any suspicious activity. It’s helpful to know your neighbors and for them to know you, because you’ll both know if any unauthorized persons are snooping around each other’s homes. The presence of neighborhood watch signs has been statistically proven to decrease break-ins and burglaries on streets that have them, so take the time to chat with your neighbors, come to an agreement, and put up the signs.
Cameras
For obvious reasons, criminals prefer to operate anonymously. Cameras are a direct threat to that anonymity and burglars absolutely despise them because even if they successfully pull off a heist, a camera can still help identify them after the fact and lead to a conviction. You can read more about cameras in detail here and here, but we want to emphasize their use as a deterrent because even a fake camera will deter a criminal more than no camera at all.
Remember, most criminals are opportunistic and look for the easiest target. By fitting your home with simple deterrents, you can prevent burglaries and break-ins before they even happen. That’s all for this series on home security, but you can get more updates and advice by signing up for our newsletter, and don’t forget to keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter!
– Get It Right Solutions