Many people consider neighborhood safety to be important. Despite its relevance, it’s not an easy task to simply “feel safe” anymore. With over 2.5 million burglaries annually in the United States, virtually any neighborhood can be susceptible. That is just one reason why it is so important to help ensure your home, and ultimately your neighborhood, is safe and secure.
Neighborhood safety is not just an individual effort. It takes a community to truly help keep everyone as safe as possible.
1. Make Friends with Neighbors
Neighbors can offer a great source of insight and protection in a community. By making friends with neighbors, you can find resources in the event of an emergency. Many neighbors reciprocate offers for help. So, if you plan on going out of town for the weekend, a neighbor might be willing to house sit for you and ensure your home stays safe and secure while you are gone.
2. Organize Neighborhood Safety Efforts
Many neighborhoods develop a neighborhood watch group. This is essentially a group of volunteers who receive training on crime prevention and work to patrol their neighborhood and add an extra layer of security. These groups have been shown to decrease crime.
There are also multiple ways to encourage neighbors to disclose burglary incidents by using a neighborhood safety app. Typically, these apps work by notifying neighbors of crime occurrences.
3. Take Proper Precautions Before Going Out of Town
Burglars will usually look for common signs that a home is vacant. It is important to make it appear as though you are home even when you are away. Before going out of town, consider picking up mail and newspapers and bringing them inside. You can also have your lawn mowed or your walkway shoveled. Using timers for lights and even having someone park a car in your driveway are additional ways to make it look as though you are still at home. Some of these tasks, neighbors might be willing to do for you as well.
4. Close Windows and Blinds at Night
Closing blinds helps to ensure that burglars do not know about any potentially tempting items you may own. If no one can see your big flat screen, then no one knows it is there. By closing your blinds at night you prevent free looks into your home.
Windows should also remain closed at night or when you are gone. An open, or unlocked, window provides easy access to a burglar. By closing and locking your windows, you help remove the easy invitation inside.
5. Improve Neighborhood Lighting
Burglars prefer to target neighborhoods that have fewer residents and are not well lit. Ensuring your neighborhood is well lit goes beyond having street lights. Porch lights and other outside lights such as motion detector lights are proven to deter burglars. This is because these lights do not provide burglars with dark places to hide in.
6. Install a Home Security System
A properly installed home security system will likely be the biggest deterrent for crime. There are multiple reasons for you as an individual to get a home security system. Not only does it deter crime for your home, but it could help deter crime for the neighborhood as a whole. If a burglar sees a home has a security system, they will likely make the assumption that the other homes in the area will have one as well.
How can we help?
Neighborhood security has to start with someone. As you get to know your neighbors, discuss your security concerns and share some tips. This could lead to your neighborhood becoming more secure. At Twin City Security, we have an array of security services to fit your needs. We work tirelessly to adapt to any security concerns that may arise. Contact us to learn more about how we can work together to create a security plan to fit your needs.