Preventing Crime in Your New Place
It’s something we really don’t want to think about, something only for horror movies and crime shows. Sadly, violent crime happens in the United States on a daily basis, in 2004, there were approximately 24 million cases of violent crime. About 1 in every 27 households in that year were either burglarized or had a member age 12 or older who was a victim of violent crime. Although it’s scary to think about, anyone can be a victim of crime but there are some things that you can do to help prevent being targeted by crime.
The best way to avoid bad situations is to be aware of your surroundings and be prepared in the event you find yourself in a compromising situation. Awareness is the first step. Personally, I’ve lived in the same area for quite a while but as I did some research for this article, I was amazed at who was living right down the street from me. If you’re moving to a new city, take a look at the crime trends that happen in your neighborhood. You can look up your current city, or the city that you’re thinking of moving to, on http://www.city-data.com/. There you can find the types and numbers of crimes committed in a neighborhood, by year, and compare the crime rate to that of the median for the rest of the United States. It’s also good to know if there are any registered sex offenders living by you. The US Department of Justice requires sex offenders to be registered at http://www.nsopr.gov/.
Keep in mind, however, that regardless of the crime rate for a certain city, past history can not determine what crimes may or may not take place in the future. If you choose an apartment in a city with a very low, or nonexistent, crime rate, it does not mean that you will never fall victim to a crime. Criminals strike where they see opportunity and they don’t always stick to a particular geography. If you live in a crime ridden neighborhood and do things to keep yourself and your property safe, you’ll probably be less likely to be a victim than someone who lives in an area with low crime rates that never locks her apartment. There are many simple things that you can do to prevent becoming a target for criminals.
- Deadbolts are vital to have on all doors that can lead to your apartment. Not only do you need them but you need to keep them locked, both when you’re at home and when you’re away. If a burglar has a choice between picking a standard lock or breaking into an apartment with two or more locks, odds are the criminal will go for the easiest break-in. The more time a burglar spends on getting into an apartment, the more obvious he becomes and the better chance he’ll be interruped or caught in his attempt.
- Even if you are just going out for a few minutes, lock your door and take the keys with you. You’d be surprised how many people are gone for less than an hour and come back to find out they’ve been robbed. Other types of criminals will also look for the opportunity to sneak in your apartment while you’re away, knowing that you’ll be back.
- Besides a door or window, burglars can also use a sliding glass door to gain entrance to your apartment. Sliding doors can easily be lifted off their tracks. Place a wooden rod inside the track on the inside, so it cannot be opened from the outside. Hanging curtains on these doors can also prevent a burglar from easily “scoping out” your place.
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