There are several reasons for investing in electronic home security. I would venture to say that a desire to prevent burglary motivates many people. After all, first-generation home security systems were actually marketed as burglar alarms.
Investing in home security to prevent burglary makes a lot of sense. People want to protect their homes and belongings. They do not want criminals breaking in to steal valuables. But more importantly, burglary comes with its own emotional baggage. Stopping a burglary from ever taking place keeps that emotional baggage away.
Victims Report Feeling Violated
Many studies conducted over the years have proven that burglary victims often feel violated. One study, out of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine revealed victims who reported the crime against them as being like “a violation or rape.”
The rape analogy may not make sense to someone who has never been victimized by burglary. But for the subjects in this particular study, especially those who had been untouched by crime, reported that the burglary they experienced violated the sanctity of their homes. It’s not all that much different from violating a person’s body.
Why It Feels So Violating
A bigger question might be why burglary seems so violating. One possibility is the reality that a victim no longer feels safe in her own home. If a burglar can strike once, they can strike a second and third time. And what if a homeowner is home when the burglar strikes next?
Such feelings contribute to a sense of vulnerability. For some people, an increased sense of vulnerability equates to personal violation. Such feelings are amplified by the fact that people tend to consider their homes their safest sanctuaries.
The feelings of violation and vulnerability are so severe in some cases that victims experience anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and more. Some people are so traumatized that they experience PTSD-type symptoms including hyper-vigilance and intrusive thoughts.
Prevention Is the Best Security Option
Knowing what we know about burglary and its associated emotional baggage, the question then becomes how to prevent being victimized. Prevention is the best security option, regardless of the crime you are talking about. But common-sense dictates that 100% prevention is not practically possible.
If we could stop crime 100%, there would be no such thing as crime. The fact that it still exists, despite our best efforts to snuff it out, demonstrates has much. So a homeowner’s goal is to achieve prevention by making a successful burglary as difficult as possible. That’s where electronic home security comes in.
Vivint Home Security, one of the nation’s largest professional security providers, acknowledges that electronic devices and an alarm system will not stop a truly determined burglar. But most burglars are not determined enough to overcome home security. So installing a home security system acts as a key motivator to keep most burglars away.
A typical Vivint system includes:
- Window and door sensors.
- A video camera or two.
- A motion sensor or two.
- A doorbell camera.
- A central hub.
- A mobile app offering full system control.
Vivint customers can add extra devices as their budgets allow. But even if they stick with a base system, they get enough protection to make a burglar think twice about breaking in.
Prevention Goes Beyond Electronic Devices
Vivint is quick to point out that prevention doesn’t stop with electronic home security. It goes well beyond devices like video cameras and motion sensors. Remember, the goal of prevention is to make things as difficult as possible for criminals. Make them need to work extremely hard to burglarize your home, and the chances are pretty good they will look for a softer target.
This is one reason so many security experts recommend beefing up the front door. A solid, heavy-duty security door is one that is difficult to breach. It is even more difficult if the door is equipped with a heavy-duty deadbolt lock.
Here are some other things that make life tough on burglars:
- Double-Pane Windows – Double-pane windows are equipped with two panes of glass. They are twice as hard to break into compared to single-pane windows. A double-pane window will definitely slow a burglar down.
- Block Glass – Homes with basement windows offer an easy entry point under normal circumstances. But replacing standard basement windows with block glass solves the problem. Block glass is nearly impenetrable without a tremendous amount of effort.
- Dense, Thorny Shrubs – Dense, thorny shrubs planted in front of first-floor windows make those windows terribly unattractive to burglars. Windows guarded by uncomfortable shrubbery are off the menu as entry points.
- Unobscured Views – Maintaining an unobscured view of your home from the street makes it more difficult for burglars to do what they do while remaining unnoticed. A similar principle applies to rear and side entrances. If neighbors can see those entrances clearly, it’s harder for a burglar to hide the fact that he’s breaking in.
A burglar likes to get in and out as quickly as possible and without making too much noise. The best way to prevent burglary is to ensure that a quick and quiet job is impossible. Force burglars to spend time breaking in. Force them to break in using methods that create a lot of noise.
Don’t Make Burglary Easier
A final thought about prevention relates to activities that actually encourage burglary. As a homeowner, don’t make burglary easier. Don’t make it obvious that you are away on vacation. Do not post your whereabouts on social media or show off valuables to your friends and followers.
Adopting a mindset of privacy goes a long way toward not inviting burglary. Doing so is worthwhile given the amount of emotional baggage that comes from burglary.
You can replace electronics and jewelry. Yet it’s hard to regain that sense of safety and security once your home has been broken into. So rather than cope with feelings of violation and vulnerability, protect yourself against burglary as best you can.
