How to protect your home from a home invasion

Your home is your safe haven. It should be the one place where your entire family feels secure and protected. However, others may enter your home uninvited. According to Global Security Experts, in the United States, one out of every five homes will be the victim of a violent home invasion or a burglary. Even though these statistics are high, you can still protect your family and your belongings by being prepared and taking special precautions. Here are several suggestions for keeping your home and family safe from a home invasion.

Have a plan.

Your family is most important in your life, and it is crucial you have plans and strategies in mind to protect them. Think about your home and all possible entry points. Play out different scenarios in your mind about how the intruder or intruders may enter your home, what type of weapons they may have, what belongings they may be after and more.

It is also smart to have items stored throughout your home as a way to defend your family. For example, keep pepper spray in your nightstand as a method of defense. Other objects may include a baseball bat, knife, taser, etc. However, when thinking about weapons, consider your family and their safety. You will not want to keep any dangerous item such as a knife or pepper spray in reach of young children.

Establish rules.

Sit down with your children and establish rules for your home. For example, instruct your children never to open the door while parents are gone or without a parent. Also, always look to see who is at the door and if it is a stranger, make sure the door is locked and an adult is notified.

The Global Security Experts state that most home intruders force their way through the front door. They may enter by force or try to be clever by appearing as maintenance workers, delivery personnel or someone whose car broke down. According to FBI statistics, 53 percent of home invasions occur during the day. This is just one more reason why it is important proper rules are established and your children know what to do, especially if an adult is gone.

In addition, establish rules regarding what children post on social networks. Many criminals use social networks as a way to gather information about a home. By monitoring a social networking page, they can easily learn when a home is empty, a family is on vacation, any new electronics recently purchased, any medical issues or accidents that could result in prescription drugs and more. Help your children understand what is and is not appropriate to share online.

Make your home difficult to enter.

It is important that you take special precautions to make your home difficult to enter. For example, security alarms and bright lights around your home are a great deterrent for home invasions. Furthermore, consistently lock all the doors and windows in your home. If your home’s windows do not have secure locks and are easy to slide open, stick dowels along the bottom of the windows to prevent them from being easily opened.

In addition, be aware of bushes and other items that make it easy to hide in your yard. If possible, do not keep large bushes next to your home, and do not place other items around your home in areas where intruders can hide.

Home invasion can be a scary and frightening thing. It can greatly affect an individual and make her feel on edge and frightened in her own home. However, with a little knowledge and effort, you can help deter this terrible incident from happening to you.

Courtnie Erickson is a Utah State University graduate and a technology guru.