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Discouraging Home Invasion

Protecting the home is a priority of every property owner. Sometimes this protection is limited to simple anti- burglary precautions; such as, durable aftermarket locks, solid doors and break resistant windows. Other times, home protection is extended into the protection of loved ones and material assets through the use of alarms, safes and other precautionary mechanisms.

Such safety items are particularly useful to prevent, or at least discourage, a home invasion. Home invasions are different that regular burglaries; the perpetrators do not care if the residents are at home. These crimes are also often more violent and more drawn out time wise than traditional burglaries.

Today, home invasions are a popular type of crime with many types of criminals. This is unfortunate for property owners, but not unavoidable. In fact, there are various ways in which a homeowner can prevent a home invasion.

Installation of a home security system is the first step in discouraging a home invasion robbery. Criminals often consider a home security system as an annoying feature in their target homes. In fact, a home without a home security system is two to three times more likely to be broken into than a home that has an installed security system. Homeowners often count on a security system to protect their homes and their families.

One of the most common features of a home security alarm system is signage; however, signs are also available to people that do not have a security system in their homes. These signs are usually put in the front yard and front windows of a home. They are an ideal way to deter criminals that are looking for a quick in and out in a robbery situation.

Signs are not the only type of decoys that homeowners use to prevent or discourage a home invasion. Other popular decoys are cameras and lights. Camera decoys often include a motion sensor and a flashing light. They look very similar to their functioning counterparts. Lights that are on timers can also act as great decoys for a home. These lights give the illusion that someone is home in a residence that is actually empty, while this illusion may not deter a potential home invader it will help to deter other criminals.

Discouraging an invasion goes beyond changes and additions to a dwelling, in fact one of the best deterrents is a great neighborhood watch program. A functional and effective neighborhood watch program and increased police patrols have been known to discourage many crimes.