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Last year over two million households discovered just
how devastating a burglary can be. It is the one serious
crime that you are likely to suffer. Statistics
nationwide place your risk of being hit at between
five and nine percent a year. The thieves' annual
take: $3.5 billion.
Don't think of burglary as just a crime against property.
According to government statistics compiled over a
ten year period, 13 percent of break-ins the burglars
encountered someone at home; nearly a third of those
confrontations ended in assault; ten percent of the
violent crimes were rapes. Daylight is no protection:
some 36 percent of all break-ins occur during the day.
What draws a burglar to a particular house? Evidence
of affluence, of course. The lack of an alarm system
is also attractive. Studies indicate that houses
with alarms are struck only one-sixth to one-third as often as those
that don't have them. Since the culprit
is rarely caught, prevention is the best way to protect
yourself. Here are five strategies experts recommend:
1. REINFORCE ALL ENTRANCES. Fortify exterior
doors with dead-bolt locks; reinforce sliding glass
patio doors with a locking metal rod that jams the
track.
2. KEEP YOUR HOME VISIBLE TO THE NEIGHBORS. Don't
let greenery or fences obscure windows and entrances.
Leave porch and garage lights on while you sleep.
3. FORM A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH GROUP. With
the help of police or sheriff's department, organize
your neighbors to keep an eye out for trouble.
4. DON'T ADVERTISE YOUR TRAVELS. Arrange things
so that would-be crooks think you're home. Ask a neighbor
to pick up your mail and newspapers. Install timers
to turn on your lights and radios every evening.
5. INSTALL AN ALARM SYSTEM. Nine of ten U.S.
residences lack alarm systems. Besides sounding a siren
when tripped, the best alarms automatically phone a
24-hour-a-day monitoring service. The attendant then
phones the police or, if requested, calls your home
first to make sure it's not a false alarm. Regardless
of the type system you choose, put decals on windows
and doors and a small sign on the lawn announcing it.
Otherwise the system has no value as a deterrent. Even
with the greatest precautions, there is still the possibility
your home will be hit. However, if you follow the advice
of experts, chances are burglars won't be coming to
your house.
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