Before you go out and spend thousands of dollars on a new
home security system, it's a good idea to find out how secure your
neighbourhood is. Or to put it in blunt
terms, find out how many crimes are being committed where you live. This information can have a big impact on
what steps you take on the home security front.
This may sound like the information you can't get without going
door-to-door and interviewing everyone within a four-block radius. Have you been robbed in the last year? Has anyone broken into your car? Has anyone stolen mail from your
mailbox? It sounds like a pain, doesn't
it?
Fortunately, you don't have to do this. Chances are the police station has this
information already. As you might or
might not have suspected, most police agencies keep detailed statistics of
these things. They have records of
crimes committed, and can often narrow down the statistics to the block level.
As a resident, you're entitled to this information.
So, head down to your local police station (the one closest
to your home), and ask to talk to the public affairs officer (or whoever is in
charge of public relations). Request the
crime statistics for your neighbourhood.
You might not get a list of who committed the crime, but you should be
able to get information on how many break-ins, auto thefts, rapes, etc. have
taken place over the last few years.
Sometimes the records go back for decades.
This is the best way to find out how safe your neighbourhood
is. Do remember that the crimes that
have been committed on your street in the past aren't always perfect indicators
of what will happen in the future. Just
because no one has been robbed on your street this year doesn't mean someone
won't be burglarized tomorrow. However,
if there have been a lot of crimes committed in the past, this is a pretty good
indicator that a similar trend will continue.
If there have been quite a few home break-ins in your area,
you may want to consider an aggressive home security plan, such as a whole home
security system that can protect your house and your family by sending the
police if someone tries to get in. On
the other hand, if there hasn't been a break-in for years, you may feel safe
with a less aggressive approach. Maybe
you'll feel it's enough to install common sense home security items (i.e. replacing a weak door and window locks) and adopt good security practices (i.e. don't leave
doors unlocked, don't leave garages doors up, and don't leave tools in the yard
burglars could use to break in, etc.).
Remember, the first step to protecting yourself and your
family is to find out how secure your neighbourhood is.
Comments