Home Safety

Home safety is about not only enhancing the security in your home but having a clear plan of action should you ever find yourself in a position where your safety is compromised. Awareness is the best precaution to ensure you take the right steps in an emergency to keep yourself and your family safe.

The first principal of defeating intruders is not to let them into your home. Be vigilant for any strange activity outside your house, such as an individual loitering and peering into your windows or anyone sitting outside your home in a vehicle without reason. Make a note of what the people look like, the license plate number of the car, and notify the police.

Never open the front door to strangers or unexpected callers. Check them first through the spy hole. If they claim to be from an official organization you should ask them to pass their identification papers through to you. Telephone the head office number for confirmation. If they are legitimate visitors they shouldn’t mind you doing this.

Should you arrive home to find the door open or a window smashed, never go inside. Get to the nearest telephone and call the police.

In the worst-case scenario in that you are inside at the time of a break-in, you should try and leave the property immediately and call the police. If you cannot get out, telephone the police from an internal phone and stress that the break-in is in progress. Preferably do this from a room you can lock yourself within. The police should be there within minutes.

Some may consider building a safe room within their house. If you are attacked you may have the opportunity to run into the safe room with the assailant locked out while you call for help. For maximum security, treat the safe room door as an exterior door. Since most interior doors are of the hollow core type, it will need to be replaced by a solid wood or metal type. Hinges to this door should not be exposed when the door is closed shut.You could also install a deadbolt surface mount lock on the back side of your bedroom or bathroom door, providing that there is a window that can act as an escape route out of the room.

Ideally, it would be helpful to install a separate phone line for a phone that can remain hidden in an out of the way place for use in emergencies. You could even store your cellular phone and charger in the safe room to help you communicate with authorities in a crisis situation.

By getting to know your neighbors, you can establish a safe environment for all. People are much more likely to get involved in a crisis when the victim is a friend or someone they know. Neighbors can also provide a safe place to go in case of an emergency. Together you can discuss what their response should be if they hear yelling or screaming. Perhaps discuss a code system that could be used to signal help from each other.

If an intruder ever manages to get inside your house don’t attempt to fight with them. If they directly confront you, be cooperative and let them get away, or look for the first opportunity to escape. Try telling the intruder that all you want is to leave the house. If they ever become aggressive, you may have to fight back or smash a window to scream that you need help. If you can, try to remember as many details as possible about the intruder so that you can help with the police investigation later.