9. Always Lock Your Doors
After watching the videos in this article, you can see how important it is to be diligent with your locking routine. You can bet the criminals will be routinely looking for easy targets.
In short, the fact of the matter is this. Most common criminals are looking for the “softest” targets available. Unlike in the movies, they don’t spend months, or even hours, planning and staking out their next heist.
Some do, but these are in the extreme minority…
Most simply walk up to cars parked along the street trying doors to see if they’re unlocked. Or they walk through a neighborhood looking for open garage doors. Ambitious criminals will scan the neighborhood look for homes that “appear” to be empty and try a door… See where this is going?
In other words, you can seriously beef up your security and prevent 99% of property crimes by simply locking your doors religiously, both for your vehicles and your home. It’s a philosophy that’s based on hard evidence, not paranoia.
If a trespasser does attempt to bypass your locks, the lock will at least buy you time. Your watch dog will certainly take note.
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What kind of fool doesn’t lock doors??? My house doors are locked 24/7. Even my storm doors are locked. We have wooden rods in place to prevent opening of patio doors. My backyard fence gates have padlocks. I live in nice neighborhood which I view as making us more of a target because we might have something worth stealing. Since I’ve been unemployed for the last two years, the best a baddie would get is bag of rice or roasted chicken. As to attacking me, He’ll have to deal with teeth, fingernails, elbows and knees . But I don’t want 10-foot wall to advertise we have goodies. We try to blend with rest of neighborhood. We only have wood privacy fence in back yard to keep doggie from running amock.
We did, however, shortly after purchasing house, install double pane windows that lock securely. My next door neighbor is sooo jealous. Her husband preferred to buy a boat so she suffers with rattily old windows. It was sad to watch her run around stuffing bits of paper in frames to quiet rattling when it got windy. When we bought house, I figured it was smart to replace the 1959 drafty windows to avoid paying to heat the outside during winter or cool the outside during summer. But the security features on good windows are awesome.
Trish
I’ve also heard about the “distract you at the front door while they break in the back” so watch your back and your front. Having motion alarms can deter that sort of thing. Also, keep in good standing with your neighbors and you’ll all be watching out for each other! The Golden Rule! If you want your back protected, do so for others. It’s a win/win!
I work in an auto claims department. I had a claim for a stolen vehicle just today where the owner admitted to leaving the ignition key in the ignition and just locking the door with his fob. Ridiculous!!
That is hysterical! I’m so glad you shared that little nugget. Perfect illustration of how a little common sense (or lack thereof) can go a long way….
Good points. I can only add that I ensure everyone in my home knows how to use every rifle, pistol and shotgun we have. All pistols and rifles are of the same calibre so as not to make a mistake when trying to reload. Pistols, .45 ACP, all of them, rifles 5.56 with 30 round mags. All shoot hollow points. When I’m in the shower, I put a .45 beneath a hand towel and lock the bathroom door. No one approaches any door to turn it open without saying the secret pass code. And I have a 12 gauge tactical pump shotgun with 00 buckshot. But all this happens if they get past two dobermans. The doberman’s have their vocal cords removed, so the only sound they make is the quick spring to he who enters. They’re teased regularly to give them a decent PO attitude, and a good deal snappy. I keep them a little on the short of food side, so they have a hungry and lean look and give me the stink eye when even I move about the house. After dusk, I leave the lights off, as they interfere with my PVS-7 night vision goggles (military surplus, expensive, but well worth it). As a 3rd level of defense, everyone in the house has a gas mask, and if I yell gas gas gas, they put them on in 9 seconds. I have a 3 way switches in various tactical locations (one on each floor) to flip and fill the house with nitrous oxide. Home is very well sealed to avert outside entry/attack. NO2 will either send the perp into a sublime state of rest, or make’m laugh uncontrollably. At that point I can assuredly kick the living Shiite out of him. Oh, and I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do to do the latter. He’ll regret targeting my home.