With our hectic schedules we are too busy for anything outside of the norm. Take a brief moment to ask yourself, if you’re locked out of your home, can you still get in? For most of us the answers is yes, and that usually includes through an unlocked window in the back, or using an extra key hidden under a flowerpot or up on a ledge?
It’s very important that we always remember, if you can break in, so can a burglar! A small investment of time and money can make your home more secure and can reduce your chances of being a victim of burglary, assault, or vandalism.
Get to know your neighbors. Watchful neighbors who look out for you, as well as themselves, are a front-line defense against crime.
–In almost half of all residential burglaries, thieves enter through an unlocked door or unlocked window. Make sure every external door has a sturdy, well-installed deadbolt lock with a minimum of 1½” bolt.
–Secure sliding glass doors with commercially available locks or with a broomstick or wooden dowel in the track to jam the door, in case someone tries to pry it open.
–Insert a pin in a hole drilled in the sliding door frame that goes through to the fixed frame to prevent anyone from lifting the door off its track.
–Secure double-hung windows by using keylocks or by sliding a bolt or nail through a hole drilled at a downward angle in top corners of the inside sash and partway through the outside sash. Secure basement windows too. The hole should be large enough that the nail or bolt slides in and out freely, in case you have to open the window fast in an emergency.
–Don’t hide keys in mailboxes, planters, or under doormats. Give an extra key to a neighbor you trust. If you’ve just moved into a new house or apartment, have the locks changed.
Burglars can take more than your property. Burglars generally don’t want to run into their victims. But if they’re surprised by someone coming home, or if they pick an occupied home, someone may get hurt.
If you see a screen that has been cut, a broken window, or a door that’s been left open, don’t go in. Call the police from a neighbor’s house or a public phone.
Source: LAPD-Van Nuys
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