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Here in Panama, we actually have an advantage over people in North America. We haven't put such a high reliance on the police that we forget to look out for ourselves.
Attitudes in the US and Canada are finally starting to change however. More and more people are realizing that it is important to be responsible for your own home security.
The first thing to remember about home security is that nothing is 100%. If a person wants to get into your home, they are going to be able to do it. It is impossible to stop them completely.
So, your home security has essentially 2 goals.
To make your home less of an attractive target than other homes, by being more difficult to get into. And then to protect your family and limit loss if they decide to anyway.
Your first line of defense, is to make your property seem like less of a target. Make breaking in more difficult that the hassle or risk is worth.
First of all, don't let your home seem like it is empty. Fortunately, in most cases a crook would rather deal with an empty house, than one that is occupied.
A few ideas, are automatic lights that go on or come off through out the evening. And having someone take care of your property so it doesn't look empty.
Next, you want to make it difficult to get into your house. Leaving an open window, is an example of inviting someone to break in. So is having an unlocked gate.
Locked doors are not going to stop a criminal forever. But it will slow them down, encouraging them to move on to easier targets.
High fences, which are common in Panama, are being used more in North America. One thing to consider when building your fence, is that if it is solid, all the crook has to do is get over it, and he is protected from view.
But, if you can see through the fence, just getting over it does not help him. He still needs to break into the house. And he is in full view of anyone who may be driving by.
Bars on doors and windows also act as a deterrent to thieves, If the crook knows he has to spend 15 minutes with a crow bar, just to get in, he is going to think twice. Especially if he is in full view of the road.
After you have installed sufficient deterrents to theft, your next concern is protecting your family and limiting the amount of loss that occurs if and when the criminals get past your defences.
The most important things for you to do are to ensure you are not surprised if you are home. And to encourage the crooks to get out of there as fast as they can.
You need to make as much noise as possible. This means 2 things. A good alarm system or dogs. You do not want to be awoken in the middle of the night with someone standing over your bed.
But a dog that starts barking or an alarm system that goes off immediately when someone breaches your property means that you will be alerted in time to react. How you react depends on you. It could mean getting to a safe location within your house, or it could mean grabbing a weapon to protect yourself. The key is, you are not surprised.
The next thing that a barking dog or wailing alarm is going to do, is get the bad guys out of your house quickly. They do not want the police or security alerted to the fact that they are in your house. In addition, they are not going to be fans of your pit bull taking a bite out of their hind quarters.
Home security is all about preventing crime before it happens. And then making the affects less damaging if it does. You cannot rely on the police to help you protect your property. They are not going to get involved until it is too late.
Take steps to prepare your home now. Install extra locks, high attractive fences and a security system. Go ahead and put bars on your windows and doors. Its not like in the old days when they were ugly. There are now, many attractive options available.
Home security will never be 100%, but there are steps you can take to increase your piece of mind and make criminals move elsewhere, leaving your home alone.
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