02-20-2015
Source; www.monitronics.com
Very few things are as frightening as having the peace and quiet of a home violently interrupted by home invaders who use fear, intimidation, and force to enter a property and victimize its occupants. Anyone who has ever experienced this sort of crime first-hand knows just how traumatizing it can be. The unfortunate truth is that home invasion robberies are on the rise in America.
There are no solid statistics on home invasions per se, because the FBI and police agencies classify them as robberies. However, robberies are, by definition, violent acts of theft in which perpetrators use force to steal from victims. According to the most recent FBI statistics, just over 345,000 robberies occurred in this country in 2013, of which more than 56% involved the use of weapons. A 2014 report from NBC news suggested that what most of us consider home invasions, as opposed to other kinds of robberies, occur at a rate of about 135 per day.
Home invasion seems to be an increasingly popular crime in response to stepped-up security efforts by large corporations and small business owners. Those commercial targets are not as easy to hit as they once were, leaving criminals to attack residential homes instead. For your own safety, you need to take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family.
Home Security
The first step in implementing a sound prevention strategy is to install a wireless home security system. Home security is a known deterrent because of the noise it makes. When you include 24 hour monitoring to a home security package, the deterrence factor goes up. Criminals are less likely to invade a home they know is probably being monitored at a remote location.
We stress the idea of a wireless system because it cannot be disabled from the outside by cutting power and phone lines. A wireless system utilizes cellular signals and batteries for continuous operation. Exterior surveillance cameras are an added option that will provide further deterrence. For more information about a monitored home security system, feel free to contact Monitronics.
Practice Privacy
We live in a day and age in which people tend to be very careless about their privacy. Such carelessness is a good way to find oneself a victim of criminals. You can help prevent home invasion by maintaining your privacy at all times. Do not post your whereabouts on social media, do not flaunt your material possessions, and do not broadcast to the world the contents of your home by leaving your windows and doors open.
Door and Window Locks
Home invasions are characterized by violent, forcible entry. Preventing such entry is a matter of installing heavy-duty deadbolt locks on all first floor doors and heavy-duty window locks as well. Furthermore, the strike plates for both deadbolts and handle locks should be heavy-duty, for screw models. These types of strike plates make it much more difficult to kick a door in.
Some criminals will knock on the front door or ring the doorbell hoping that an occupant will at least crack open the door, giving easier and faster access. Never open your door for anyone you do not recognize or anyone you do know who might pose a threat. If you do not have a heavy-duty peephole installed in your front door, have one put in.
Protecting yourself against home invasion means stepping back and anticipating what could possibly happen. It is a matter of recognizing your vulnerabilities and taking the steps necessary to strengthen and secure your property. Monitronics can help with the first step by providing monitored home security.
Sources:
- FBI – http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/violent-crime/robbery-topic-page
- NBC – http://www.today.com/news/home-invasion-jeff-rossen-shows-how-protect-your-family-1D80117494
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