By Bradley J. Steiner, American Combato
Home invasion is truly a nightmarish problem. No one who hasn’t experienced it or who hasn’t studied the phenomenon to the extent of realizing its emotional and physical impact on its victims can fully appreciate what destruction this horrendous crime of violence leaves in its wake.
And I am not even speaking about home invasions in which no one is murdered. As for those home invasions that do result in the tragedy of innocent deaths, well, it is clear there is no recovery from this, ever, for any who survive.
The good news is that, while there are of course too damn many home invasions in our cities, there is little chance – statistically – that individuals who live relatively normal lives (i.e. no drugs, no criminal activities, no freakish friends or relatives who circulate amongst or who deal with questionable types, no “attitude” that makes enemies, etc.) will suffer this catastrophic crime.
Still, there are no guarantees. The targeting of more people for home invasions is not an unlikely thing as our social order increasingly decays. As Gerald Celente has long said, “When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.” And when people do “lose it,” there is no accurate way to predict what they may do.
My advice to everyone is to be prepared. The act of preparing will provide some reassurance and confidence. If you prepare and never need to deal with the problem, great. But, God forbid, if the problem comes to you, you will at least have a chance of dealing with it successfully.
What I want to address now is how to do something that is referred to as “hardening the target,” i.e., in simple language, making your home an unattractive or very difficult target for invasion.
If you live in a private house, you absolutely must get a quality alarm system. These systems – with conspicuous sign postings – definitely deter a percentage of violators.
By themselves, signs and the alarm system cannot physically combat intruders. However, the alarm will do one other thing besides warning a percentage of vermin away: Should a break-in occur, the system will sound an alarm, and a good security company will then signal the police to get to your residence.
Securing access to your home by making a forceful entry as difficult as possible is important. The idea is to make anyone’s forcible entry into your home as time-consuming as possible. This means having two deadbolt locks on your door and a Fox Police Lock. Expensive? Yes, but a bargain if this makes would-be intruders abandon their efforts or delays them long enough for you to deal with them as the situation demands.
It should go without saying that you want to be sure your front door (and any other doors in your house) include this security, and every door is as sturdy and resistant to impact as possible.
Securing windows is more difficult. While they are easy to break (unless you are wealthy enough to afford the kind of glass utilized at the White House!), you can and should have your alarm system include sensitivity sensors to window glass breakage. This will, in an invasion situation, at least ensure that you have some warning to ready yourself at the very moment the break-in is initiated. Basement windows should have solid steel bars installed, in addition to their glass. No bars elsewhere.
Your garage should be well-secured with a strong, sturdy barrier-type door. There should be a solid and secure door that can be opened only from inside your house that connects to the garage.
Having a dog that barks is always a plus. Best if it is also a Doberman or Shepherd that will attack and neutralize an aggressor, but even a small dog that barks, whenever anyone is outside, can be an excellent deterrent.
In addition to the signs provided by your alarm company, it is useful (for legal reasons) to post simple “No Trespassing” signs conspicuously. Do not, no matter how great the temptation, ever post any signs such as the following: “Is There Life After Death? Trespass Here And Find Out” / “These Premises Protected By Smith And Wesson” / “Trespassers Will Be Shot” / “These Premises Protected By Armed Residents,” etc.
Another good sign to post is a “Beware of Dog!” or a “Guard Dog on Premises!” sign, only if you do not have a dog. The reason is that scumbags will always claim that your dog attacked them if they intrude on your property. If you have declared your dog to be “dangerous” because he is trained, then you may be liable.
No dramatic gun signs or death threats. You are warning any invaders who may be highly motivated, willing to take a chance, in search of guns to steal, etc. that you are armed. Why be so foolish? Keep your weapons ownership private (legal, of course, but private). And let any who violently break into your home be surprised by the fact that you are armed. (More about this in Part Two.) You also want to avoid being regarded as a crank or a nut. This could easily occur if an investigation follows your ever having to shoot an intruder.
Do not talk about your home security measures or describe them to anyone. Obviously, neighbors will see your alarm system signs and you can acknowledge that you’ve got the alarm system if they mention it.
BUT THAT’S IT!
If you live in an apartment, you have a somewhat simpler task. You still want an alarm system. You still want two deadbolt locks and a police lock for your front door. A notice that you have an alarm system should be posted on your door and on each window. A dog is a good idea, but it’s possible your building does not allow pets.
You should know that it is unwise to live either in a ground floor or top floor apartment. The former permits ready access from the street (and a speedy getaway). Ground floor apartments are popular targets. The top floor apartment permits quick access from the roof and escape via the fire escape.
My advice, frankly, is to move to a building where you can live on one of the intermediate floors if you live in a ground or top floor apartment now. Yes, again, I know it’s inconvenient. But we’re concerned here with your safety and well-being. By the way, if your building has a doorman or security guard, I would not put any reliance on him. These people can easily be intimidated or bribed.
Valuables
Whether you live in a house or an apartment, you must make certain that your valuables (including important documents) are secured. Place documents in a safe deposit box. I do not like safe deposit boxes for anything else, as my “confidence” that they will not be spied upon by officials is nil. Documents are okay, but anything else must be secured where a search (except by trained law enforcement personnel) will not reveal their presence. For this I will just say “be creative,” and you can pick up a book on hiding places if you need ideas.
Safes provide less security than good hiding places. Safes can be moved, stolen, or blown. My personal use for safes is as DECOYS. Purchase a moderately-sized safe of quality. Its weight should not be beyond what an average-sized man can lift, with effort, and carry away. Fill it with a couple of bricks. It is almost certain that intruders will grab it and run. Got the idea?
And stay off those goddamn “social networking” sites. If you attract attention (some morons actually announce when they’ll be away on vacation, and where they’re going!) then expect undesirable attention – sooner or later.
