3am...You awake in a start. What was that noise? Fear washes over you and your heart races as you realise someone is inside your house...
Australia is a generally safe and secure country to live in. We go about our day to day lives without fear; In fact we are almost oblivious to the dangers that could possibly lurk around the corner. For most of us coming home and locking the door behind us makes us feel safe and secure. I mean, what safer place could there be than your home?
It seems that every day there's another story about a violent home invasion though. Could this be due to increased financial pressure through loss of jobs or inflation? Does it stem from drug addiction or organised crime? Are people seeing the family home as a soft target and therefore easy prey?
I worry about this rising crime rate and have made adjustments to how we live within our home. We have action plans, and procedure's in place in an attempt to mitigate the risk. One such procedure is to lock the door when we are inside...At all times. There have been so many reported incidents of people being burgled whilst actually home, in the next room watching TV! Violence often ensues when the homeowner stumbles across the intruder. Of course, there have also been many cases of criminals forcing entry and brutalising the occupants.
One of my own friends woke to find an intruder in the house about 4 years ago. He grabbed up an ornamental samurai sword and chased the guy into the street...All whilst still naked. Sounds funny but if he'd he caught up with the intruder it would probably not have ended well for one, or both, of them. The police will probably advise against such action for obvious reasons.
For me...Well I'm a pretty prepared sort of guy in general. I'm prepared in respect of the manner in which I approach work, recreation, hobbies, socialising and pretty-much everything I do. The same can be said about home security and my level of preparedness. I certainly don't ever want to be in a situation in which my preparation is put to the test however I should I be, I don't intend to be the victim. Many people believe that the police will be there to assist. Sure, they might be, but what if they are not? They do a great job with what they have to work with sure, but they can't be everywhere.
I urge people to look at their home security measures. Do you have a CCTV system recording to DVR to capture images of possible intruders and as a record of events? Do you have adequate locking mechanisms, designated evacuation routes and access, do you have self-defence skills and equipment and an understanding of what to do in a violent situation? Do you understand the laws in respect of self-defence of a person and of property?
It is a sad indictment of today's society that we need to contemplate these things. I was brought up in a small town where we didn't lock cars or the house. Ever. Those days are gone unfortunately. You owe it to yourself and your family to have emergency action plans in place, to be more aware inside and outside your home and to be prepared. Ask yourself what you would and wouldn't do to protect the people you love.
Thanks for reading. Get prepared. Don't be a victim.
Image courtesy of shutterstock.com.