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….