Civil unrest isn’t always something we think of when we’re considering security threats to our homes. However, it’s not just something that affects businesses and commercial buildings.
Urban areas are also full of homes that can be right in the path of a protest. Even when the majority of people are protesting peacefully, there are always criminal-minded individuals looking to take advantage of the chaos for their own personal gain.
If you’re concerned about civil disorder affecting your neighborhood and property, don’t worry, there are security measures you can implement to help you sleep more soundly.
In fact, many of these measures are the same ones we recommend for protecting your home from burglars, so you’ll be killing two birds with one stone by implementing them on your property.
How to Secure Your Home From Intruders and Trespassers
Preparing for Civil Unrest: Tips for Homeowners
- Create layers of security
- Install a security system
- Set up security lighting
- Build fences
- Take advantage of landscaping
- Secure windows and doors
- Keep valuables out of sight
Create layers of security
When we say “create layers of security,” what we mean is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to securing your home against civil disorder. It’s important to implement a variety of different solutions in order to truly make your home less of a target and more secure from crime.
Install a security system
A strong security system should have a monitored alarm system as well as working surveillance cameras that record activities on your property. This type of security system serves to both deter would-be criminals, as well as to help catch them in the act of committing property crime.
If a rioter is considering your home as a target for vandalism or looting, the presence of visible cameras acts as a strong deterrent — criminals don’t like getting caught, after all.
A monitored alarm system will notify you and the authorities if someone is tampering with your property and trying to gain entry to your home.
Set up security lighting
Another great way to deter trespassers and intruders is to set up bright, motion-activated lights at key points around the exterior of your home. These lights turn on and flood the space with light whenever someone is poking around where they shouldn’t be.
Ideal places for motion sensing security lights:
- By all doors (front, back, side, garage)
- Front and back yards
- Patios and porches
- Walkways
- Driveways
Build fences
To create a physical barrier to entry around the perimeter of your property, build a tall, sturdy fence around your front and back yards. Use gates with heavy-duty locks that lock only from the inside to help keep trespassers out.
A solid fence not only keeps people from just walking onto your property at will, but it can also keep them from seeing what’s on your land beyond the fence. When would-be intruders don’t know what’s on the other side of something, they’re much less likely to target that property because it’s more risky for them.
Take advantage of landscaping
Landscaping is something most people don’t think of when it comes to home security, but it does play a role.
For starters, make sure to keep your landscaping well maintained to eliminate easy places for trespassers to hide. Then, consider strategically planting certain types of bushes and shrubs to create natural barriers to entry.
For example, you can plant thorny rose bushes beneath ground floor windows to make it more difficult for intruders to access them. You can also plant tall, thick hedges around your yard to create a natural fence.
Secure windows and doors
No matter what other security measures you have in place, doors and windows are still vulnerable entry points that would-be intruders know to target. Standard window glass shatters incredibly easily and regular doors can generally be kicked in with little effort.
Firstly, it’s important to make sure that all your windows and doors have strong locking mechanisms. However, these don’t do anything to protect the glass or doors themselves, so what can you do?
Window and glass door security options:
- Security window film
- Laminated security glass
- Custom-made security screens
For a very basic layer of glass protection, you can install security window film. These pliable Mylar coated films go right on top of the existing glass and help keep it intact if it’s shattered.
Security window film won’t keep your window intact after repeated high-force impacts, but it can limit the damage if something gets thrown at it from a distance. It can also deter would-be intruders by delaying their entry attempts long enough for them to consider moving on to an easier target.
Laminated security glass is the next step up from security window film. These panels consist of a thermoplastic interlayer laminated between two sheets of glass that can resist multiple high-force impacts.
In fact, depending on the exact composition and thickness, these laminated sheets can completely deny forced entry attempts using a variety of common burglary tools.
For an extra physical barrier to forced entry, fit all your windows and doors with custom-made security screens. These screens are made of a fine, powder-coated stainless steel mesh and heavy-duty security framing that resist slashing, kicking, and prying attempts.
Keep valuables out of sight
If there’s nothing of value to be seen on your property, it doesn’t look like an appealing target to criminals. Park expensive cars in your garage, move large valuables away from windows (or close curtains and blinds so they can’t be seen), and put small valuables away.
Final Thoughts on Preparing for Civil Unrest
Follow Our Tips to Secure Your Home Against Intruders of All Types
We hope none of our readers and clients have to experience loss due to any type of crime, which is why we like to provide recommendations such as these to help you protect your property against a wide variety of threats.
Contact Campbell Corporation today for more information about how we can help you secure your home from intruders.
