10 Easy Ways To Deter Burglars

What will be the greatest threat after the next disaster? Thirst? Hunger? Medical emergencies? Hopefully you’ve prepared for these possibilities by learning to store and purify water, learning to store and cook food, and building a good first aid kit.

Once you have those things covered, the next biggest threat you’ll have to worry about is burglars. Why? Because after a major disaster, most people won’t have bothered with the first three things I mentioned. They’ll be thirsty, hungry, and desperate for emergency supplies. And even if there is enough water and food to go around, there will still be criminals who try to take advantage of the lack of law enforcement. But don’t take my word for it.

In the 1990’s Argentina was a relatively safe and prosperous country. Then in 2001 it experienced hyperinflation and a total economic collapse. Take a look at how much crime in Argentina increased from the years 1995 to 2001.

• Larceny increased 28.96%.
• Rape increased 164.58%.
• Grand theft auto increased 248.79%.
• Robbery increased 4158.99%
• Aggravated assault increased 5596.94%.
• Burglary increased a whopping512100%.

Yes, you read that right. And unless you’re an expert in martial arts, you’re going to need a good weapon to defend your home from dangerous people. However, you’ll be far better off if burglars skip your house altogether. So how do you make them do that? Here are 10 ways to make burglars change their minds about robbing your house and skip it altogether.

1. Get a Dog – It doesn’t have to be a very big dog; it just needs to have a loud, intimidating bark. (Don’t forget to stock up on pet supplies.)

2. Remove Large Plants and Bushes – If you have any large plants, bushes, or small trees right next to your house, all they are is good hiding places for burglars. Cut them all down.

3. Join or Start a Neighborhood Watch – And also put up neighborhood watch signs. The feeling that someone might be keeping an eye on them makes burglars hesitant.

4. Put Up Home Security Signs and Stickers – If you can afford it, a home security system is a really good investment. But if you can’t, it’s still worth putting up signs and stickers. No burglar wants to open a window only to have a loud alarm draw attention to them.

5. Buy Some Battery Powered Alarms – These things really don’t cost that much, they run on batteries, and they produce a very loud alarm when someone opens a door or window.

6. Buy Some Security Cameras – You can get some fake cameras if you want, but keep in mind that experienced burglars can usually tell the difference between real ones and fake ones. Your average looter, however, won’t be able to tell the difference.

7. Buy Some Motion Sensor Lights – These sensor lights run on solar power, but you can also get lights that run on batteries, and those are much more reliable.

8. Reinforce Your Doors – Most doors are actually pretty easy to kick in, but if you reinforce yours and make it damn near impossible to kick them in, most people will quickly give up and move on to the next house.

9. Install Bars On The Windows – I know, they’re ugly, but safety is far more important. No one is going to get through rebar. Just make sure you still have a few ways to get out of the house in case of a fire.

10. Build a Perimeter Fence – Ideally it should be seven feet high, have spikes on top, and go all the way around your property. But even a short fence is better than nothing.

Burglars are like cockroaches; they prefer to work in darkness and silence. If you do even a few of the things on this list, most burglars will decide your house is more trouble than it’s worth and move on.