Do crime rates decrease during the summertime? Most people would assume that crime rates would decrease during the summer since families are more active, plan vacations, and aren’t always at home. You might be surprised but crime rates actually tend to increase as the temperature outside goes up. There is some speculation that crime sprees are more likely to occur during the summer time because there are more older children who are out of school and left unattended. Crimes start increasing as the summer drags on and teens or young adults get bored and don’t have anything to do. Often times groups of teens or young adults get caught up in the wrong crowd and take advantage of opportunities that are in front of them. It is also the time of year when families often let their guard down and don’t protect their home the way they should.
Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only. Any opinions reflected in this post are my own and may differ from your opinions.
Is Your Home an Easy Target For Thieves?
It is easy to determine if your home could be a potential easy target for thieves. As you are inspecting your home and find deficiencies it is important that you take the necessary precautions to make your home more secure, including adding a security system and/or security cameras on you home. During the summer time you are more likely to spend more time outside and you are more likely to leave your garage door open for extended periods of time, especially, if you are doing yard work or having children that enjoy playing outside. An open garage is inviting to thieves and makes your home an easy target. An open garage can lead to theft of items that are in your garage and even possibly allowing thieves entry into your home with very little effort. You would be surprised at how much a thief can take off with in only a few minutes.
What Can I Do To Protect My Family from Being Victimized?
Common sense goes a long way when it comes to protecting your family from becoming victimized by vandals or thieves. Adding a security system or security cameras can help keep your home safe and secure. In fact, most insurance companies will even offer you discounts on your homeowners insurance for protecting your home. However, for a security system or cameras to work, you have to actually turn them on and use them.
15 Ways to Protect Your Home and Family from Burglary
Use these tips to help secure your home and protect your family from intruders:
- Always double check to make sure that your windows and doors are locked, especially, if you have a teenager(who thinks that you don’t know that they are sneaking out of the house at night). Do check the windows and doors before you leave home and before you go to bed at night.
- A dog can help alert you that strangers are around. They also can help protect your home and yard from intruders, especially, a dog that likes to bark. A constant barking dog is a great way to draw the attention of you or your neighbors. Adding a beware of dog sign on your fence can help protect your back yard. While out of town, only allow people who you trust to come inside of your home to care for your pets.
- Never hide a key to your house under a mat or where someone can potentially find it.
- Do participate in a neighborhood watch groups and have signs installed in your neighborhood.
- Do call the police if you see something that is out of place or doesn’t seem right.
- Planting thorny bushes or cactus plants under windows can deter thieves from these potential point of entries into your home.
- Keep bushes and shrubs trimmed back to prevent thieves from finding a hiding place on your property.
- Always lock the door when you leave your home, even if it is for a short period of time.
- If you have a garage door opener that has a keypad, do choose a code that isn’t easy to guess and change it frequently to avoid worn keys that would give away your password.
- Hide or lock up ladders and tools so that thieves don’t use them to get into your home.
- Never open the door to a stranger who wants to use your phone. Instead, you make the phone call for them.
- Do take pictures and record serial numbers on all of your valuables such as computers, televisions, dvd players, ect.
- Keep you purse, wallets, money jars, and other valuables out of plain site. If possible, lock them up in a safe deposit box.
- Install dead bolt locks on all exterior doors.
- Install or replace any broken window locks.
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How do you protect your home and family from burglary?
