When crime is on the rise in a neighborhood, it can start to feel like a person’s own home is not a safe place to live. Residents are left wondering if their home will be broken into next. If nothing changes in a neighborhood, then chances are the criminal activity will get worse, not better. However, there are a few things that can help to prevent burglaries in virtually any neighborhood, especially when neighbors are willing to work together.
Knowing the People in Your Neighborhood
One of the best ways to deter burglars in a neighborhood is to take note of who is coming and going. The person jogging around the streets that you never noticed before may be casing out homes for later. The person on the bike that started showing up in the evening might be up to no good also. Sometimes talking with these individuals and finding out who they are can give a burglar the idea that the neighborhood they are in has observant, engaging people gathering too much information about them and their activities. No one looking to break into homes wants to be noticed too much, nor will they think it is good to stir up trouble if people can give a description to the police of what they look like—especially that nosey neighbor who has no hesitations about calling the cops at the first sign something is not right.
Beginning a Neighborhood Watch
Nothing deters crime as much as when criminals know people are organized to pay attention in a targeted neighborhood. Starting a neighborhood watch is a critical step towards letting burglars know that their movements in a neighborhood are being watched on a whole new level. In general a neighborhood watch also can coordinate with local police to be more effective at catching and exposing individuals attempting to break into homes. Even just having one established can deter crime in your neighborhood by making it harder for crime to happen without a witness.
Beef up Residential Home Security
Burglars typically want a house that is easy to break into, not one that is difficult. Homes with security signage, motion sensor lights, visible cameras and Southern Screen Scene doors and window screens can be a huge deterrent that lets a burglar know to not waste their time with the better secured homes. Even if a person cannot afford the most expensive security measures for their home, simply making it appear as if a home has excellent security can be more of a deterrent than making no effort at all. At the very least, burglars will be more wary of approaching your home when there is uncertainty about your home security measures.
Keep It Clean Outside
Something burglars look for is a home that has trash sitting outside all the time, newspapers piling up on the lawn and lawn that is not mowed on a regular basis. Also, when mail and newspapers are left to pile up over time, this is a sign that the homeowner is not around much. By addressing these problems, it makes it more difficult for a burglar to know if a home is an easy target or a risky gamble. On top of this, maintaining your home’s exterior can help raise your home value during appraisals and keep up the value of the whole neighborhood.
When many of the residents in the neighborhood decide to keep their homes looking well maintained, introduce some visible security measures, and start taking an interest in watching what is going on around their homes, the neighborhood becomes a much safer place. The residents of the neighborhood can feel like the neighborhood is once again a safe place for them and their families.
