Introduction
Everyone should have a plan in place to be safe during a possible attack from intruders into your home, but it is even more important to have a plan in place to prevent such an attack.
Obviously, your home should have different layers of defence, and these defences should begin outside the home.
These layers are as follows:
- Detection: Identifying and dealing with problems before they cause damage to your home and loved ones.
- Deterrence: Keeping trouble and intruders out of your home.
- Reaction: Dealing with an intruder as soon as you become aware of it.
Another way to think about layers is to separate them into surveillance, barriers, and action. Surveillance alerts you to what is going on in and around your home. This is about more than just security cameras; there is also a neighbourhood element to it.
Know your neighbourhood and its residents
Understanding what is going on in your neighbourhood is critical for detecting problems before they occur. Obtain local crime maps because they may help you identify any patterns, such as an increase in break-ins. Join your community’s social media group. Pay attention to what is going on around you. If the homes around you have security gates installed, it may be time for you to do the same.
The first line of defence around your property includes security cameras, burglar alarms, motion-sensitive flood lights, and other devices. These systems are simple to install and use. They can provide you with a real-time view of what is going on outside your house even if you are thousands of kilometres away because they are connected to the internet.
How secure is your house?
The second phase of preventing home invasion is “hardening” your home against an intruder, which includes locks, deadbolts, and other physical deterrents.
A lock is only useful if it is used. Even if you think you “live in a decent neighbourhood,” you should lock your doors, because roads connect your neighbourhood to neighbouring communities which may not be so great.
Examine the exterior of your home. Are there windows obscured from the street by overgrown shrubbery? Do you have deadbolt locks on your front and back doors? Is there a peephole in your door? Is the street lighting around your house bright enough?
Not only do we want to keep a thief out of our house, but we also want to make it appear less of a target for a burglary. What we say and do also have an impact on how vulnerable our homes appear. When you announce to the world that you own a large number of firearms, you are broadcasting to the world that you own a large number of items that criminals desperately want.
Acting against intruders
While action is the final stage, it may occur when you identify a potential problem before it occurs or when someone attempts to breach the perimeter walls you have erected around your property.
The action will take different forms. Someone loitering outside your neighbour’s house requires a different response than someone attempting to break down your door. Prepare a home defence strategy and be ready to implement it if necessary.
This article was provided to GunCommunity SA by Firearms.co.za. Visit www.firearms.co.za for more articles of this nature.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the Author and they do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of GunCommunity SA and it’s Affiliates.