Experiencing a burglary is awful, and it makes the victims feel completely violated. Your home is a place where you should feel safe and protected from predators.
However, some criminals have no problem with invading people's homes to get what they want. Therefore, you have to be prepared to safeguard your family and the things you've worked hard for.
Thankfully, there are several ways that you can deter the bad guys and make it harder for them to trespass on your property. Check out these tips to learn what to do in a home invasion and how to protect your home from an intrusion in the first place:
1. Don't Answer the Door
One of the best ways to prevent home invasions is by keeping the door closed to strangers. Some burglars are more sneaky with their tactics and will often knock on the door as a part of their intrusion. They could try using a ruse to get you to open up voluntarily. Or, they might try a test tap or two and listen for any movement inside.
If a stranger comes to your home, act as if there are lots of people home, even if it's not. Also, if the person is banging and claiming there's an emergency, call 911. No matter if someone really does need help, or it's a lie, the authorities should be called either way.
2. Never Leave a Spare Key Outside
Although having a spare key outside of your home is convenient, don't do it!. Criminals know to look under welcome mats and plant pots to find door keys. You don't want to give robbers access to steal your things freely.
Remember, they're looking for an easy way in, and their goal is to not draw attention to themselves. By using your key, they can go inside without shattering glass or kicking in the door—which are both things that could cause others to take notice.
3. Catch them in the Driveway
One of the smartest practices in home invasion defense is securing your driveway. You want to catch the crook before they get to your home. By using a driveway alert system, you can get on guard before any criminal activity takes place.
It'll notify you via sound or light so that you can take immediate action. If you're not expecting any guests, take a look outside to see if anything suspicious is going on, then act accordingly.
4. Secure all Doors and Windows
Another simple way to prevent home invasions is by making sure everything is locked. That advice might sound trivial, but it's crucial. Many people are accustomed to locking the front door but completely forget about other entrances into the home.
Make sure all windows and basement doors are secured because burglars will try all entrances.
5. Ensure Everyone in the Home Follows Safety Measures
Everyone in your household should know what to do in a home invasion. Put together a game plan and make sure all family members act on it. Talk to your children about not answering the door for strangers and make sure they're locking their bedroom windows.
Also, if you have small children, put emergency numbers throughout the house in case you're unable to call for help yourself.
6. Use Decoys
Preventing home invasions requires smart, unorthodox methods. In addition to all of your other security measures, using decoys also helps to deter criminals. For instance, placing a large feeding bowl on your porch implies that you have a dog, even if you don't.
Hopefully, using that tactic will make an intruder think twice about coming into your home. Also, you can place protection stickers on your front window to make the burglars believe you have a home security system.
7. Designate a Saferoom
As many safety precautions as you might take, an intruder could still enter your home. If that happens, have a specific room that you and your family can escape to. Make sure the room has things like defense weapons, emergency phone numbers, and a cell phone.
Also, barricade the doors as soon as you go in and make sure you have items inside that you can push in front of the door.
8. Make Lots of Noise
Another good home invasion defense is to make lots of noise; hopefully, your neighbors will hear. Try not to do too many things that will aggravate the intruder, but try subtle tactics like turning up your television.
For instance, if you're in the living room and someone comes in, use the remote to turn the volume to the max. Only do this if it's something you can do in a hurry. Also, having a bullhorn is a good idea. Blowing it might scare off the invader and also draw attention from neighbors; your saferoom is an excellent place to hide the bullhorn.
9. Stay Far Away
If someone comes into your home, try to create as much space as possible between the two of you. The harder you make it for them to reach you, the less chance they have of harming you.
Furthermore, you never want to start a confrontation with the intruder. You never know what weapons they have or what they are capable of; try to stay hidden until help arrives.
10. Call 911
Going through an attack or robbery is frightening, and if it happens, you might forget what to do in a home invasion. But no matter, call for help as soon as possible; try to make that the first thing that you do.
No other tactics you do will matter if the authorities aren't on the way! Dial 911 and keep the line connected, even if you can't talk, having an open line will alert police to come to your location.
What to Do in a Home Invasion: Defenses Up
In a perfect world, you wouldn't need to figure out what to do in a home invasion. Unfortunately, this isn't a perfect world, and you must be prepared for anything. Hopefully, the instructions above will keep you and your family safe.
If you're looking for home equipment to help you further secure your home, feel free to contact us. We offer security cameras and other safety devices.
We're here to help you keep your home protected!