Home Invasion Part 2 More Good Information

To stay safe, you must stack the deck in your favor to make an invasion as difficult as possible and in the event of it happening make it cost dearly to the invader(s). Obviously, it all depends on how and where you live. Appartements, especially the ones higher than the bottom floor are usually a bit easier to secure because they often only feature one entry point, and balconies are difficult to access. Houses tend to be more vulnerable especially if they are isolated, case in point some criminals specialize in targeting houses that are located on properties outside of town.

• Good lighting outside your home. That can´t be overstated and it´s the first and cheapest way of improving home security. Good light has a deterring effect on potential invaders and burglars.

• Secure every entry point in your home. That means every door and window. Locks, frames, glass. Have it upgraded and proofed by a professional security firm.

• Alarms. Maybe even cameras.

• A dog is a very good addition to your security system. I am not talking about a family pet. Bobby the labrador won´t protect you against a violent invader “because it loves you”, I have posted about this earlier. I am not talking about a sport dog either (aka fake protection dog), these dogs aren´t bred to fight they are bred to compete in sports (IPO/neo Schutzhund, French ring etc) they very seldom possess the true qualities that make a dog truly capable of fighting a violent aggressor. I am talking about a real protection dog or family protection dog.

• Firearms. Own them and train to use them proficiently and safely. Anyone else in the home should know how to and yes that includes children from the age of 14. This would be your last line of defense. If you must pull out your home defense gun that means every other measure you put in place has been compromised. Unless life is threatened you should not fire that thing at anybody. Easier said than done in the heat of the moment but it needs to be said. Naturally gun laws differ largely depending on where you live, so does self-defense legislation. But in my honest opinion, if I own a gun and invaders threaten to harm my family or me, they´re getting it. Period. I would rather deal with the law later than must live with the other alternative.

That being mentioned home invasion is a special kind of event because perpetrators perform the intrusion being perfectly aware that the inhabitants are inside.

That is the nature of this crime as opposed to classic burglary which would often be attempted when the inhabitant(s) are away from home or trying to furtively take advantage of their sleep or other distractions.

Therefore, the perpetrator(s) of a home invasion often have the means and the will or even likely a purposeful intent to hurt people inside the home. The motivation can be robbery, battery/aggravated battery, sexual assault, intimidation, kidnapping, murder… None of these are mutually exclusive as this sort of violence can imply overlapping in many combinations.

That makes a home invasion a particularly frightening situation to experience. As someone who is a security expert and lived in parts of the world where home invasions are a common occurrence, I have a significant first and secondhand experience of this situation with various developments and various outcomes.

I have seen people defending themselves successfully, I have seen people barely getting away with their lives, I have seen people getting away unscathed by obeying the robbers passively, I have seen a guard dog saving people from armed robbers, I have seen shitty alleged guard dogs fail to do so and I have seen people not make it…

Increasing your chances of survival means having a home defense plan and first and foremost good prevention measures to avoid ending up in such a situation. Stack the deck in your favor.