Your neighborhood plays an integral part in your personal happiness and safety. If you think it’s starting to feel unsafe in your place, there are various actions you can do together to ensure everyone’s security. Remember that maintaining the neighborhood’s safety is a team effort that starts with you. Here are some tips to make your community a safer place:
Improve Your Home Security
Installing a home security system is not the only way you can protect your home from crimes. You also need to ensure that your doors and windows are impenetrable. Since garage doors are usually the preferred point of entry of burglars, it’s crucial to ensure that they’re sturdy enough to prevent any intrusion.
Invest in a high-quality garage door for security, longevity, and damage resistance. You can also consider installing a door sensor or automatic garage door closer so you know if the overhead door is still open. For added protection, you can also get automatic garage door locks that automatically deadbolt your door when you close it.
Aside from doors, you also need to secure all windows by installing pin locks that prevent a window from being opened outside. In case of an emergency and you need to open it for ventilation, you need to pull out the pin, and it will open easily. You can also consider installing tempered glass, which is stronger than traditional glass.
Make Friends with Your Neighbors
Familiarizing yourself with your neighbors and offering help in case of emergencies can make them reciprocate the offer. It’s also good to know someone from the area whom you can call for help, and you can also give back by looking after their kids while playing outside or if their pet suddenly wanders off.
Also, it’s practical to exchange phone numbers so you can help each other in times of need. Having a long list of emergency contacts from the neighborhood can make them quickly help you in any dire situation compared with having to call someone who lives far from you.
Start befriending your neighbors by planning get-togethers or initiating small talk. You can also have a chat while your children play outside — a good way to let the kids get to know each other as well.
Organize Neighborhood Safety Efforts
Develop a neighborhood call tree so you can all help if a crime happens in your area. It’s a simple way of notifying everyone through the phone to quickly address the emergency. The process involves one person calling a group and sending a message. Then those people will phone other members until everyone receives the message.
Another safety effort you can create is disclosing any burglary incident on a neighborhood safety app to let other people know what to look out for. However, exercise caution as some of these apps was reported to have privacy issues. Always check the apps’ privacy policy and reviews to ensure everyone’s safety.
Improve Lighting in Your Area
Burglars often target neighborhoods with a low residential density. Take special care if your community has lots of space and few houses by asking everyone to use their porch lights. Also, install motion detectors in the sides and backs of the house so that potential burglars have no place to hide.
If your home has detached properties or multiple entry points, make sure all pathways and doorways are well-lit. Place lights in the steps, trees, and pathway foliage to have enough lights where you need them and deter trespassers. It’s also recommended to extend the reach of the lighting to the outer edges of the property for maximum visibility.
Exercise Caution When You’re Out of Town
Signs of vacancy are one of the factors burglars rely on when choosing their targets. If you’re going out of town, swap offers with your neighbors to watch each other’s homes. You can have them pick up your mail, mow your lawn, or shovel your walks to avoid the impression that no one is home.
You can also use smart switches or timers to turn on the lights at a specified time or invest in a smart security system that allows you to control the lights remotely.
Start the initiative to improve the safety of your neighborhood and make sure to encourage everyone to do the same. Keep in mind that each family’s safety and peace of mind are at stake. So remember to help each other by implementing simple and effective security measures to make your place safe enough to live in.
