Parenting Article- Prevent Home Invasions

Prevent Home Invasions- Home Safety Advice for Parents

I didn't write this article to frighten anyone. I wrote it to give some good advice. If I didn't already know this information I wouldn't have minded it if someone shared it with me. It's that simple.
Home invasions can be scary. For anyone. Are you at the office when your twelve-year-old child comes home from school? Do you let them stay at home alone during the summer? If so, talk to your child about safety issues. You might not want them using the stove or having friends over when you are not around, but what about strangers who come to the door? Sure you might have told them not to answer the door. But unfortunately I have heard about home invasions during the day when burglars think no one is home. Thus, if your child does not answer the door, a burglar could see your house as a potential target. Let us discourage these criminals. Let us deter home invasions. I have been to neighborhood watch meetings. One police officer said the best home invasion deterrent is a dog. If a burglar hears a dog barking inside a home they might have second thoughts about invading it. It is easier to hit a house that does not have a dog. If you do not have a dog put a big bowl of water out front with a few dog toys. And put a Beware of Dog sign on your side gate. I have seen metal ones with a growling Doberman. Just tell your gardener or pool man, if you have one, not to be afraid of the dog. You can also think about putting a dog dish on the side yard with a big dog bone next to it.

Another idea to keep away unwanted individuals is to make a tape of a friend's barking dog. When scared, your child can play this tape when some unknown person comes knocking at the door. Also, put up a No Soliciting sign to discourage unknown people from knocking. And tell your child there is no reason for a stranger to turn the door handle. Some burglars do this in the off chance you forgot to lock your door. Your child should know about 911. And remember to inform your child about any cable or telephone repair workers who are scheduled to come. This could be an unnecessary scare for your child if you forget. To be extra safe, I suggest you be there when they come. Even if they are only working out back.

Methods burglars use to get into your home: A new method burglars are using is to pretend to leave business cards or flyers at the front door. They even carry real cards just in case. They ring the door bell. If no one answers they go to the side gate. If it is unlocked they will go through the gate and break a back window. They will steal cash, laptops, jewelry, wallets, and anything that is easy to move. One neighbor told me her house was hit like this. Her neighbor across the street saw a man running across her front lawn with her small bedroom safe. The police told her criminals will look to see if there are any cars parked in the driveway. If there are not any, they will assume that could be a good house to burgle. She was away at work so her car was gone. She now has a neighbor, who works at home, park her car in her driveway during the day. This could make your child feel safer. If you have a good neighbor you can trust you can tell them when your child comes home from school, or when they will be staying home alone during winter or summer break.

Another trick is what I call the uniform scam. The burglar dresses up as a tree trimmer, electrician, meter man, or DWP worker. They knock on the front door. If no one answers they enter through the side gate. None of the neighbors think twice about this because they look official. If it is a team burgle, one might go to the front door. When the teen or senior opens the door the criminal says they need to look at the trees in back because the back neighbor is trimming their trees. The criminal will be congenial, even make you laugh. They will keep you occupied out back while their partner goes through the front door that was left unlocked. He does the stealing. If an unknown person in a uniform asks to be taken out back, just say no. If they say they are police, tell them you want to call their station first. If they say they are a tree trimmer say you will gladly call your neighbor now and talk to them about the trees. You might see the burglar high tail it out of there if his cover can be exposed. One very sad story an officer told me about was how two men in security uniforms went to a home of an elderly gentleman. They told him his neighbor's house, a few houses down, was just burglarized. They said they thought the burglar could be in his backyard. The nice elderly man was of course distressed. He went out back with one of the pretend security officers. The other stayed out front. That is until he saw they were out of sight. Again, this elderly man did not relock his front door. This time because of naturally being distressed. The second man went though the home stealing cash and jewelry while his partner kept the elderly gentleman busy. The elderly and young are easy targets. Keep your ears open for any neighborhood scams you hear about and notify others. One woman in my area, after her house was robbed, made flyers of what happened to her and what the criminal looked like. She taped the flyers on lampposts.

Lastly, when you take a trip do not announce it to the world. Yes, a couple of neighbors should know just to be on guard if anything fishy goes on. Have them call the police if they see anything odd. Leave a phone number where you can be reached. I had a friend whose aunt's house was robbed during the day when they were on vacation. A moving van pulled up in their driveway and some men took their furniture away. One of the neighbors saw it, but just thought they were moving. It ended up the aunt told their maid when they would be on vacation. The maid innocently told a friend who told a cousin who sadly was a thief. Take this tip into consideration: Make it look like people are living at your house while you are gone. Think about hiring a neighbor kid to pick up flyers and cards off your stoop, and to take the trash in and out on trash day. Plug in light timers. Stop all mail and newspapers or have a neighbor pick them up. Consider having a friend stay at your house or at least stop by at different times.