How to avoid being a victim of burglary

Date: 2009.11.24 | Category: Sizzling Tips | Response: 0

It was in October of this year when I heard the news about a woman in the Philippines who spotted over a webcam three people trying to rob her husband’s home in Oklahoma City, U.S.

Maribel Chouinard reportedly saw the burglars on the webcam she uses to communicate with her husband, an Air Force master sergeant at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City.  Chouinard called her husband who then called the police.  The suspects were nabbed by the Midwest City police over the weekend after Chouinard positively identified the suspects from a photo-lineup emailed to her by authorities.

Here, the webcam was the couple’s advantage, as it allowed the woman to see what was going on in her husband’s house in the US while she was online here in the Philippines. 

But what if the woman was not online that day or the husband’s computer or webcam was turned off?

Surely, the burglars may have gotten away untraced, with their loot bags full of bounty.

The presence of the webcam was actually just co-incidental.  It was not initially installed on their computers as a monitoring tool.  I am assuming the husband’s house did not have anything to protect it from burglars breaking in, hence, became an easy target. 

Although the webcam may have helped the woman in seeing the actual burglary as it happened, still it did not prevent the thieves from breaking in in the first place.  It took days before the cops were able to nab the suspects eventually. 

In most parts of the world, burglary may be considered one of the rampant crimes being committed daily.  Sometimes, burglary is even accompanied by more serious crimes such as rape, homicide or worse, a massacre.

Now that Christmas is just around the corner, more people are out in the streets to do their holiday shopping, while thieves and robbers work double time doing their schemes, especially in this season of bonuses and incentives.

While the holidays are a time for merriment, one should never be too complacent so as to leave his / her things unguarded, especially your home where you keep your precious belongings and most especially, your loved ones. 

To help you avoid being a victim of thieves, robbers and burglars, I have listed down some practical tips that are easy to do and cost-effective:

1)      Free your garden, garage or the entrance to your home of anything that could obstruct view of your windows and doors from outside. 

Huge trees or shrubs are the best places for burglars to hide while they try to break into your home without being seen by passersby.  Get rid of them at once.

2)      Make sure all locks attached to your windows and doors are all working and in good condition. 

Check them everyday as you would not know when a burglar pays a surprise visit to your place.

3)      When leaving your home, leave a radio or TV on during the day, or a light on should you leave at night. 

This gives burglars the impression that someone is inside the house, hence, would discourage them to break in.  Just make sure you do this only if you would be away for a short while, as leaving your home with your appliances on while you’re out on a long vacation may not only generate unnecessary electricity cost, but could also trigger electrical wirings to heat up, spark and worse, cause fire.

4)      Do not let delivered newspapers pile up in your driveway

A pile of newspapers in your driveway gives burglars an idea that your home had been unoccupied for a long time and makes it an easy target.

5)      Get to know your neighbors and ask them a favor to keep an eye on your surroundings

Your neighbors may just save you from suspicious looking individuals who may just be looking around for their next victim.

6)      Put a sticker that says “These premises protected by ADT Alarm System” on your gate, windows and doors.

You can buy these stickers at a cheap price at stores selling sticker signs or you may also check if they accept made-to-order stickers to suit your need.  Buying these stickers are way too cheaper than buying the alarm system itself.  If burglars see these stickers at your gate or doors, even if you do not actually have an alarm system, it’s very likely that the burglars will not take the chance that you do.  However, it is still best to have a real one in case the stickers fail.

7)      Install motion sensor lighting around the perimeter of your home

One of the best defenses against a home break in at night is having exterior lighting or a motion sensor around entrances to your home. Very often when a motion activated light comes on, the burglar is prompted to leave the area immediately as he / she would not want to be seen.

8)      Install simple door and window contact alarms that trigger a loud noise during a break in

A good and wise investment is purchasing a reliable but affordable home alarm system to prevent burglars from entering your home.  It does not only guard your belongings at home, but may also save your loved ones from being hurt. These days, it is easy to find a good home alarm system that are cost-effective while it gives you peace of mind.  Look into the various home alarm systems in your area and check out four great deals such as a discounted package or low installation cost. I’ve read some good reviews of ADT Alarm System, a product of ADT Alarm Company which has been around the business since 1874.  ADT Alarm Company offers advanced monitoring equipment with the reputation of having the best customer service while providing the Best alarm system with the lowest monthly charges. 

Get to know what companies, establishments and families that ADT Alarm Company helps secure and how they manage it:

More than 80 percent of the country’s top retailers.
90 percent of the Fortune 500 companies.
More than 2 dozen of the nation’s top national and regional bank holding companies.
72 U.S. airports; 19 of those airports are among the 30 busiest airports in the United States.
All federal courthouses nationwide.
 
Service and Installation:

ADT employs more than 6,000 professional installers and service technicians nationwide.
ADT installs more than 80 security systems each hour, or more than one a minute.
ADT Helps Protect Families, Businesses and Communities:
ADT responds to thousands of crimes in progress each year.
ADT interfaces with approximately 38,000 public safety agencies across the U.S.
ADT is often asked by law enforcement to provide documentation, deposition and history of events to assist in criminal prosecutions.

Customer Monitoring Centers:

ADT has four Customer Monitoring Centers (CMC) strategically located throughout the United States. These command hubs are linked to create one virtual nationwide monitoring platform.
The CMCs act on more than 29 million alarm signals each year
93,000+ alarms daily
200,000+ total calls daily (inbound/outbound)
8,000+ customer contacts an hour 24/7
Handle more than 19 million customer calls per year.
Handle 3.3 customer transactions every second.

You can check out their website for more details:

ADT Alarm Company

9 )      Lastly, always have an escape route planned

If burglars penetrate your home while your family are inside, what should you do?  Of course, you don’t want to risk your lives that the first logical thing to do is find a way out.  Make sure every member of the family knows where to exit and what to do when this kind of thing happens.