(ThyBlackMan.com) When you are a victim of a burglary you will often feel violated and uneasy in your own home for a while, as the thought of someone unwelcome in your house plays on your mind.
Burglaries and car thefts are an everyday occurrence unfortunately, but becoming one of those statistics feels deeply personal and is an experience that is best avoided if you can help it.
You can help to protect your car and home from thieves if you follow some practical security tips and are vigilant when it comes to securing valuable items away from temptation.
Being able to get replacement keys for your car in a hurry is now available in many areas, but the philosophy should be to be proactive and think how you can prevent your valued possessions.
Making it easy
We all lead very busy lives and when you are rushing out of the door to work or to take the kids to school, you don’t want to be hunting around for the car keys.
This is why many of us tend to leave our keys and sometimes our phone right by the front door, so we can just grab them and go.
The problem with this is the fact that thieves are well aware of our habits and when you consider that about one third of burglaries are committed without the need for a forced entry, you get an idea of how many times a burglar can just help themselves to the keys to your car and home.
Intruders are adept at using rods which they poke through your letterbox to snag your bag or the keys from the side, so don’t make it easy for them. Think about where you leave your keys, wallet and phone and if it is right by the door or visible through a window, that could be an invitation that is hard to resist for a number of criminals.
Remove temptation
You should never leave any valuables in your car, even for a just a few minutes, and if you leave any bag or package on display, it may prove too tempting for a thief who will break-in to the car to see what they can steal.
Park in a well-lit area to make them think twice about being seen committing a crime and it seems that even in the days of sophisticated remote entry and alarm systems for our cars, a good old-fashioned steering wheel lock is an excellent deterrent.
Be wary of callers
A good number of burglars will actually come and ring the doorbell to check if you are in and if you answer the door, they will probably come up with some story about selling you something or pretend that they are looking for a house nearby.
Be wary of all callers to your home, however genuine they seem, and avoid being distracted or giving out valuable information about when you are away from the property.
Many burglars will target a home and seize any opportunity that presents itself to them, so don’t leave valuable things like keys within easy reach and lock your windows and doors before your leave the property.
Staff Writer; Robert Sullivan