Did you know that most home invasions and burglaries happen during the day because kids will be at school and the adults will be at work? And this holds true across the entire US as you can see from the government websites in Everett Washington, Austin Texas, Idaho Falls Idaho, and even the Supreme Court here with 72.4% of them occurring while nobody was home.
And according to each government website, there’s no particular door lock that is better than another. But that does not mean you cannot be prepared. This is because intruders tend to follow the same pathway whether they’re breaking into a house, a condo, or an apartment.
Burglars first look by the front door for hidden keys. They could be in fake rocks, under door mats, hidden panels, and the normal hiding places. This is where you want to use strong deterrents. Place a security system with cameras and recording device by the doors and entry points, warning signs such as video surveillance systems, beware of dog, and motion activated lights are also a valuable first line of defense.
What works better here are cameras and recording devices, and don’t forget motion activated lights at night. But these won’t stop every burglary which brings us to the next point, where they go.
Most burglars are in your home to steal easy to carry valuables from wallets to jewelry, cash laying around, collectibles, and things that can be sold easily. They’ll check master bedrooms, offices, and living rooms for display cases.
Pro-tip: Bathrooms are high target items because burglars can find prescription medications they can sell on the street.
If the home invader has not discovered what they’re looking for, they’re going to go for other bedrooms, wine cellars, look for hidden shelves, and safes in closets. It all depends on how confident they’re feeling and how much time they have to search. And that leads to the next section, how to secure your items. After that we’ll go over protecting yourself and your loved ones.
Tips to Secure Your Valuables from Burglars
- Make sure safes are bolted to the ground or the wall. Unbolted safes can be carried and lifted away.
- Medicine cabinets should have a lock on them and not be made of glass that can be shattered.
- Put security cameras in your home and have them point towards the valuables that are on display.
There’s also things not to do like using fake cans of soup and shaving cream, or hiding jewelry in the fridge. If you can buy the products like a fake stone that stores a key at the store, or find hiding ideas online, burglars know about them too. This includes the popular fake dirty clothing like diapers and underwear that hold money.
How to Protect Yourself From Burglars
The best way to protect yourself is to be trained in self-defense and have a plan in place if a burglar invades your home. The first and best course of action is to find a quality instructor who can train and educate you should be your first plan of action. Read their reviews online, see what certifications they have, and talk to others that have hired them for training.
Beyond training and education, make sure your firearms are easily accessible to you in the event you need them, while also ensuring they do not fall into the wrong hands.
Strategic placement and quality matter here, we’ll use gun safes as an example.
- Keep all guns secure in a safe that is secured to the floor or wall with a lock.
- Have a hidden gun safe next to or under your bed that can be opened even with sweaty hands. Some biometric safes will fail if you’re fingers have sweat, and your palms and fingers sweat more when you’re nervous.
- Have your long guns and non-protective firearms secured in a gun safe or military grade gun cabinet that will not be easy to open by the burglar.
- Have a hidden gun safe accessible in a closet or under your mantel that can be opened by a code or key you carry with you.
- Make sure your guns are properly stored and organized so you can access your protective firearms like a handgun without having to struggle or pause.
Home invasions happen but you do not have to be left defenseless. With proper training and education on a quality home defense plan, you can be ready should a threat situation ever arise.
If the situation arises that you are home when an invasion happens, make sure your firearms are out of reach of the invader, but within your reach so you can protect yourself if needed.