Keeping your home safe isn't easy especially since you generally have to protect against a wide range of threats. For the most part, people have to deal with three types of intruders – pranksters, desperate individuals and career criminals. Each type of threat presents an entirely different set of security challenges and what you need to do to stop one from successfully invading your home or damaging your property is vastly different than what you need to do for another. This creates an environment in which holistic security solutions that offer multiple layers of protection are essential.
Dealing with pranksters
A lot of people have had to deal with considerable damages created by what somebody else may think is a relatively harmless, or only slightly harmful, prank. A lot of things can make you a target of this kind of attack, such as a personal feud, living in an area where vandalism is common or having a unique feature of your home that seems to attract the attention of pranksters. For the most part, you can't predict when a prank will happen, but you can protect against it through visible security cameras and similar tools.
For the most part, people who are committing a prank do so casually and for personal pleasure. Because of this, they are probably going to be especially concerned with not getting caught. The fear of repercussions can go a long way toward getting pranksters to think twice before vandalizing your home. Visible security systems can provide that type of protection.
Safeguarding against desperation
Crimes that are committed out of desperation or passion can be extremely damaging for everybody involved, but they can also be among the easiest to protect against. The key thing to remember is that a person performing a crime out of desperation may not be thinking clearly when they perform the act. They are not generally a professional criminal who will attack your home strategically. However, they may be more likely to keep pushing through your defenses and take extreme measures without worrying about getting caught.
For the most part, you need strong defenses against this kind of criminal. Don't just use a dead bolt, reinforce doors. Don't just lock windows, install motion sensing alarms that you can turn on overnight or when you are away from the house. Cameras and similar solutions can help to, but they won't do you much good if a person can walk up to your house, kick down the door or break a window and get in without any trouble.
Countering the career criminal
Somebody who uses crime as a way of life will train specifically to get past the most sophisticated security systems. As a result, your focus should not necessarily be on stopping them. Instead, you want to emphasize slowing career criminals down. This requires a multi-layered solution that not only prevents easy entry into the home, but also includes solutions that allow for the early identification of the threat. An alarm setup that uses cameras to identify suspicious behavior and trigger an alarm that notifies officials can make this happen. Preventing easy movement through your home is also key.
However, career criminals may also target your home if your security systems are so overt that they draw attention. This creates a considerable challenge because many of the deterrent-focused security solutions that may help against vandals could draw the attention of a career criminal. If you want to protect your home against a wide range of threats, you have to have a multi-layered security system that balances a variety of strategic solutions into a strategic plan.
