Home is a place where you feel safe and secure. It is where you feel protected from the harms and dangers of the world, but there are times where people with malicious intents would break into your home and steal everything you own and might even cause you and your family some serious injuries. To protect yourself, your family, and your belongings from the dangers of being attacked and stolen by criminals during any time of the day at your own home, here are 12 tips to keep your home safe from criminals.
- Make your house appear unappealing to criminals
Before ever breaking into someone’s house, a criminal would usually scout for a target. Their targets are usually homes that appear as if a rich person lives in it and homes that looks like the owners are not around. Simple habits like keeping the boxes of expensive items in the garage before garbage day and regularly emptying your mailbox can definitely avoid your home from being targeted by criminals.
- Prune your shrubs, plants, and any other vegetation
If your home is targeted by criminals, they would most likely use every single hiding spot around your house to keep them from being seen. Trimming your shrubs, plants, and other vegetation can reduce the number of a criminal’s hiding spots which would make him easier to be spotted by you and your neighbors.
- Close the window blinds
You may not notice it, but criminals can determine whether or not you have something valuable in your house that is worth stealing just by having a quick glance of the insides of your house using the window. You should consider using blinds especially when you are away since it prevents the criminals from having a quick glance of the insides of your home.
- Invest in an alarm system.
Criminals would have a hard time forcefully entering your house if you have an alarm system. Though alarm systems are quite expensive, it could really protect you especially when you are living in a neighborhood that is prone to break-ins.
- Install some lights around hour house.
Installing some lights can make it very difficult for criminals to avoid detection. You may want to consider buying lights that had adjustable sensors when you’re going to use a light with automatic sensors.
- Always be cautious about your daily routines.
When criminals already had their target, they will make sure that you are not around when they break in. By having a random daily routine, it would make it harder for criminals to know when you are at your house or not.
- Avoid putting valuables in plain sight.
One of the mistakes of a homeowner is to keep his valuables in plain sight. This makes it easier for criminals if they want to target your home. Keeping your valuables hidden throughout the house will not only discourage criminals from targeting your house, but it would also make it harder for them to steal once they are inside.
- Set timers for appliances in your house
Connecting certain appliances like the television, radio, and lights through a timer and turning them on or off gives off an illusion that there is someone is there at home. Criminals would think twice into entering since there’s someone at home, or at least looks like it.
- Reinforce the windows.
Some criminals would use the windows to break into a house instead of lock picking the door. You may want to invest on reinforced glass so that criminals won’t be able to break into your house. It prevents the glass in windows from being broken which would give them a hard time in entering.
- Learn to fight.
Sometimes, criminals can be successful in breaking inside your home. It could be a lot dangerous if they break in while you are inside your house. Learning self-defense can not only protect you from being seriously injured, but also immobilize the criminals on their spots.
- Reinforce the front doors of your house.
The first thing that a criminal would do once he reached the house is to try opening the front door. Improving the front door of your house such as installing a deadbolt and installing multiple locks would make it difficult for criminals to enter your house from the back door.
- Have a guard dog.
Along with installing various alarm mechanisms around your home, it is also positive to consider having a guard dog in your house. It would bark at someone that he doesn’t recognize, which would make it harder for criminals to sneak in. They can also chase the criminals if they ever thought of running.