Home Security From A Private Investigator's Perspective (Con't):
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One of the key points here, one which is often overlooked by inexperienced security professionals, is that when you deter a crook from attending your home, you’re encouraging him to focus on someone else’s. All’s well and good as long as he isn’t breaking into your living room, right? Wrong. Your home security plan shouldn’t stop at your property line; it should mesh and combine with the security plan of your neighbour, and of his neighbour, and so on and so on. The goal here isn’t necessarily to make your home look like less of a target than the one next door; it should be to make your entire neighbourhood look like less of a target than the one across town.
The Third Security Zone: Your Neighborhood And Neighbors
Being a PI and having the opportunity to view the habits of so many people, in so many neighbourhoods, the one surprising constant that I see in virtually every place I work, is that people don’t have a clue who they’re living beside. Generally speaking, and depending on the type of neighbourhood (i.e. suburban compared to urban or rural), people tend to know the basics about their immediate neighbours, that is those neighbours on either side of them and possibly those behind their home. Often, beyond the boundary of one’s next door neighbour, people don’t even know first names.
Now, I’m not saying that you need to become the head of the block glee club, but it’s always prudent to get to know the people you live around. One obvious way of breaking down some barriers in the name of home security, is to join or form a Community Watch program with the help of your local Crime Stoppers or Police Service. From my position as a domestic spy, I’ve often had run-ins with local Community Watch members, and in my experience, those neighbourhoods who employ and abide by the principals of Community Watch are the most difficult areas for me to remain concealed in for long periods of time. Community Watch programs offer specific training and guidelines for maintaining a safe and secure home and neighbourhood, and as such when a would-be burglar sees that red and white sign posted along the boulevard, he’ll think twice and hopefully decide to take his chances elsewhere.
Being a PI and having the opportunity to view the habits of so many people, in so many neighbourhoods, the one surprising constant that I see in virtually every place I work, is that people don’t have a clue who they’re living beside. Generally speaking, and depending on the type of neighbourhood (i.e. suburban compared to urban or rural), people tend to know the basics about their immediate neighbours, that is those neighbours on either side of them and possibly those behind their home. Often, beyond the boundary of one’s next door neighbour, people don’t even know first names.
Now, I’m not saying that you need to become the head of the block glee club, but it’s always prudent to get to know the people you live around. One obvious way of breaking down some barriers in the name of home security, is to join or form a Community Watch program with the help of your local Crime Stoppers or Police Service. From my position as a domestic spy, I’ve often had run-ins with local Community Watch members, and in my experience, those neighbourhoods who employ and abide by the principals of Community Watch are the most difficult areas for me to remain concealed in for long periods of time. Community Watch programs offer specific training and guidelines for maintaining a safe and secure home and neighbourhood, and as such when a would-be burglar sees that red and white sign posted along the boulevard, he’ll think twice and hopefully decide to take his chances elsewhere.
Above:
Neighborhood Watch Programs Really Work!
Neighborhood Watch Programs Really Work!
An effective alternative to Community Watch is to become a Block Parent; for some reason unknown to me, the Block Parent sign placed in your window is a very effective deterrent against break-in. It may be a psychological trick, or it may be as simple as an indication that you (being the homeowner) are much more community minded than other neighbours, and therefore are more likely to be properly secured against break-in.
I attended a home security convention several years ago, where a guest speaker in one of the seminars was extolling the virtue of the annual block party as a great way to both network within your neighbourhood, and to create your own informal community watch. The idea is simply that even brief social contact with your neighbours is enough to inspire a sense of possession across the entire neighbourhood, thus making it more likely that at least one of your neighbours will have their eye on your property at any given time, and vice versa. The speaker’s suggestion was to take the initiative to host or sponsor the first annual party, and then ask for a volunteer(s) for the following year while at the party, instantly creating alliances within your neighbourhood.
All in all, security for your home and your family isn’t all about high tech gadgetry and push button convenience; it’s about taking an active role in securing your own home, property and neighbourhood. A quality alarm system, installed correctly, monitored professionally and equipped with the highest standards of false alarm protection should play a central role in your security plan, but it shouldn’t steal the show. Change your perspective and look at your home's security as an on-going process, rather than a product you buy at discount. Take if from me…if you combine your home security system with strong homeownership, intelligent landscaping, effective lighting and a solid connection to your neighbours, you’ll end up with the best security plan money can buy.
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I attended a home security convention several years ago, where a guest speaker in one of the seminars was extolling the virtue of the annual block party as a great way to both network within your neighbourhood, and to create your own informal community watch. The idea is simply that even brief social contact with your neighbours is enough to inspire a sense of possession across the entire neighbourhood, thus making it more likely that at least one of your neighbours will have their eye on your property at any given time, and vice versa. The speaker’s suggestion was to take the initiative to host or sponsor the first annual party, and then ask for a volunteer(s) for the following year while at the party, instantly creating alliances within your neighbourhood.
All in all, security for your home and your family isn’t all about high tech gadgetry and push button convenience; it’s about taking an active role in securing your own home, property and neighbourhood. A quality alarm system, installed correctly, monitored professionally and equipped with the highest standards of false alarm protection should play a central role in your security plan, but it shouldn’t steal the show. Change your perspective and look at your home's security as an on-going process, rather than a product you buy at discount. Take if from me…if you combine your home security system with strong homeownership, intelligent landscaping, effective lighting and a solid connection to your neighbours, you’ll end up with the best security plan money can buy.
Back To Index Page