How to Secure Your Home against Burglars!

FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports paint a very grim picture of burglary. It says that across the US, burglary (officially known as crime against property) happens every 15 seconds. You read it right; a home is burgled every 15 seconds in the United States.

Who’s the target?
Burglary usually occurs during the day when people are out of the house for work or school. Also single family homes in quiet neighborhoods are more at risk of catching the burglar’s eye than apartments. July and August are the months with maximum break ins reported and February is the month with the least number of thefts.

Who are the burglars?
The resolving rate of burglary cases is dismally low- 13% are solved with stolen items recovered. Usually the thieves are men below the age of 25, looking for quick cash. That is why they break into homes and take away cash, jewelry, electronics like laptops, DVD players, speakers, cameras and other expensive and easy to sell stuff like furs, leather bags and guns and ammo.

How secure your home
The basic idea is to ensure that you don’t push your home under the burglars’ noses or leave your home poorly secured. Here are some tips:

• Do not have thick hedges around windows or doors to help the burglars conceal themselves.
• Do not advertise your wealth- keep your blinds closed so they cannot see the expensive furnishings/equipment.
• Get motion sensor flood lights
• Install wireless security camera system around your property
• Get a yappy dog- one who barks loudly is an effective deterrent
• Get thick wooden or steel forced doors; get dead bolt locks and key locks for windows.

These few simple tips will help you secure your home from burglars.

Car Video Surveillance and Protection

Most everyone’s seen the footage from police cars of a traffic stop and, in some cases, a traffic accident. Nothing is more persuasive in a court of law than videotaped evidence. In the past, the participants in a car accident would have to rely on eyewitness testimony. If two people gave differing accounts of an accident, this could negate the testimony, even if it is 100% true.

People in the accident are also called to give their testimony to insurance agents and/or attorneys. In many cases it can be one person’s word against another. Again, even if you’re telling the truth – if the other driver has a different story about the cause of the accident, this could cause an insurance settlement to be split between two parties, rather than working entirely in your favor, which would be the fair outcome.

These complicated scenarios are why dashboard or glass-mounted video cameras are so important. If you are frequent driver – if you make deliveries or have to commute a long way to work – you have an increased risk of getting into an accident. Even if you drive ten minutes to and from work everyday, the unthinkable can happen, no matter how safe a driver you might be. For a very small sum relative to the amount of money you may have to pay after an accident, a dash mounted camera can provide the irrefutable proof you’ll need to show just who was at fault in the event of a car accident.