Residential Crime and Prevention-Protecting Yourself Requires Educating Yourself | By Jordan Frankel
Residential crimes occur across the United States every day—including in and around your neighborhood. Yet innocent residents continue to turn a blind eye to today’s crime reports and leave themselves, their families, and their homes exposed.
An example can be seen in the violent home invasion that occurred in Pembroke Pines, Illinois. According to the WPTV report, two men entered the residence through an unlocked door while the unsuspecting victims were relaxing in their living room. The male resident sustained some injuries during the crime. He was also tied up as was the female resident. A home video surveillance camera caught the residential crime on tape.
It’s common for people who have never been the subject of a crime to take home security for granted. It’s usually not until after a crime occurs that they take the steps necessary to educate and protect themselves. If you could speak with the victims of the home invasion crime discussed above, they’d probably tell you all the things they wish they had done or are doing now to prevent such a crime from happening to them.
Don’t make this mistake! Criminals are everywhere, and they don’t discriminate. Whether it be a burglary or a violent home invasion, it can happen to you and your family.
To decrease your risk, educate yourself on the topic of residential crime and prevention BEFORE such a crime happens to you, then apply what you’ve learned. The following are some important lessons about residential crime that every resident should know.
Lesson 1: Residential Crime Statistics
An important part of educating yourself on residential crimes and prevention is understanding the prevalence of such crimes. An excellent source for this information is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Each year the FBI reviews the crime data from various law enforcement agencies across the nation. Such data is compiled into a comprehensive Uniform Crime Report (UCR). The following are some statistics on property and residential crime across the U.S. from their most recent assessment:
One of the important points that can be taken from the above statistics is the time of day most residential crimes occur. The majority of burglaries occur during the day because burglars typically prefer to break into homes when the residents are at work, running errands, or attending school functions. This is because most burglars just want to get in and get out without being seen.
Home invasion intruders, however, are a less predictable group of criminals. Unlike the average burglar, they carry out their crimes when the residents are home. They are also more brazen criminals and pose a higher threat of violence to their victims.
According to statistics derived from the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), over 266,500 residential burglaries involve a violent crime every year. The following are additional statistics to note:
As disturbing as these statistics are, even more disturbing is the fact that this data is derived from just a sampling of the crimes reported to law enforcement agencies. There are numerous residential crimes that go unreported every year. So the numbers above are likely much higher.
Lesson 2: Residential Crime from a Criminal’s Prospective
Educating yourself about residential crime and prevention requires understanding things from a criminal’s perspective. The more you know about how burglars and home invasion criminals approach their crimes, the better you can protect against them.
The following is important information from residential crime expert, Jordan Frankel, about how home intruders go about carry out their crimes:
Lesson 3: Residential Crime Prevention
Using the data provided above, you can better assess your residence for its strengths and weaknesses in terms of home security. The following are some important residential crime prevention strategies:
For more information on how to effectively secure your residence and keep the bad guys out of your home, be sure to read Security Tips to Protect Against Home Invasions and Break-Ins
Residential Crime and Prevention Requires Applying What You’ve Learned
Educating yourself on residential crime and prevention is a key step in protecting what matters most to you in your life. But you must apply what you learn to truly protect yourself, your family, and your home from the daily residential crimes that occur in and around your neighborhood. Don’t assume a crime will never happen to you—put what you’ve learned today into action and reduce your risk of becoming a home intruder’s next victim.