Being victimized by criminals can be a traumatizing experience. It doesn’t take much, either. Something is seemingly benign as having a bicycle stolen from the garage can be enough to keep a homeowner up at night. The worry of the burglar returning and attempting to break into the home is very real. Enter home security.
People buy home security systems for all sorts of reasons. Unfortunately, some only invest in security equipment after being victimized. An after-the-fact investment is better than none at all. But could the crime that motivated a homeowner to invest in home security have been prevented had the investments been made prior?
Home Security Has a Deterrent Effect
There’s no way to say that home security would have stopped any particular crime event. Each crime has its own circumstances. But as a general rule, surveys among criminals clearly demonstrate that security systems have a deterring effect.
Burglars have a general dislike for video cameras. They know cameras stream live data and store evidence. Burglars are also not big fans of monitored home security for the simple fact that their actions will trigger an alarm and instantly alert train professionals to their presence.
From the homeowner’s perspective, it boils down to a question of whether home security provides enough of a deterrent to make the financial investment worthwhile. And of course, every homeowner needs to decide that for himself. No one can make the decision for him.
Victims and the Aftermath of Crime
Financial considerations aside, I can fully understand why homeowners might choose to invest in home security after being victimized. The emotional toll crime takes on people can range from fairly mild to absolutely devastating. I know this firsthand.
As a teenager, I was the victim of an armed robbery while working at a pizza shop. I had recurring nightmares of the robbery for several weeks afterward. But my brain eventually let me move on. That was not the case for one of my coworkers.
She was so terrified that she refused to work the night shift after that. And unfortunately, she eventually quit her job because the fear was just too great. She was never the same after seeing the business end of a sawed-off shotgun pointed at her.
My example is extreme. But again, it doesn’t take that much. A person who comes home to find that his house has been burglarized is likely to feel violated. He is also likely to begin wondering what would have happened if his wife and children were home when the burglar arrived.
Guilt and fear can remain at the back of his mind for a long, long time. It might even motivate him to do things he otherwise would never have thought of. Perhaps the first thing he will do after the police leave is contact a home security company.
The Thread of Violence Is Also Very Real
One homeowner might be victimized by a burglar while she is away at work. But another might be home when burglars break in. In such cases, violence is a very real possibility. Take a recent case from New Zealand.
A group of four housemates living in East Auckland were awakened in the early hours of the morning by four masked burglars who had broken into the home. Two of the residents were physically assaulted. The other two were threatened.
The burglars spent about 15 minutes ransacking the home before leaving with hundreds of dollars in cash, some cell phones, a couple of bank cards, and one of the residents’ car keys. The incident wasn’t your typical burglary. It was more of a home invasion.
My guess is that those poor people will remember this for the rest of their lives. One of them even told a local news team that he “dare not sleep again.”
Deter as Best as You Can
So what can homeowners do about these sorts of things? No anti-crime solution is 100% effective. Some solutions are more effective than others, but you generally need a combination of solutions to keep yourself safe. The general rule is to deter as best as you can.
For me, it starts with a monitored home security system. I would go with a nationally recognized provider – like Vivint smart home. With Vivint, you get professional installation along with high-quality equipment and 24-hour monitoring.
I am also okay with DIY systems among homeowners who know how to install them properly. Some of the systems, like those by SimpliSafe, can be hooked up to remote monitoring centers. They can also be self-monitored.
After installing home security, I would follow up with:
- Heavy-duty deadbolt locks on first-floor doors
- In-frame locks on first-floor windows
- Motion sensitive exterior lighting
- Landscape modifications that deter burglary
- Organizing some sort of neighborhood watch
Some homeowners choose to arm themselves in case of home invasion. That is a personal decision and one that is completely legitimate among those who choose it. Others prefer guard dogs over weapons. Again, another personal decision.
It Is the Modern World
It is unfortunate that a post like this needs to be written. But it is the result of the modern world in which we live. Crime is real. New victims are made every day. And as any victim can tell you, the trauma of crime is more agonizing than the crime itself.
It seems to me that the best way to prevent being traumatized is to go to every reasonable extent to prevent being victimized. It is about securing your home against criminals. It’s about paying attention to your surroundings whenever you leave home, being safe when it comes to parking your car, not advertising your whereabouts on social media, and so forth.
A safety-first mindset is the key to all of this. Commit to staying safe and you are already a step ahead of those who would victimize you. They are looking for the weak and unprepared. Do not be that person.
