To protect your home, one of the most important things you can do is vary your schedule. Years ago, the movie “Home Alone” depicted a couple of stupid burglars trying to break into rich houses during the holiday season. The one scene that stood out to me was when the two would-be burglars where sitting in their van, talking about their scheme. The smarter one was ticking off when all the houses’ lights would come on. The smart one had posed as a cop and learned when all the families where going on vacation.
The entire movie was stupid funny for little kids, but the beginning wasn’t far from the truth. In the real world, criminals will do much the same thing. They will pose as door-to-door sales people or be handing out fliers. They may or may not really be selling things. This gives them access to your neighborhood a couple of days in a row. They notice that you leave at the same time everyday, going the same way, and return at the same time. That gives them all day access to your home.
Varying your schedule is one of the best things you can do for your own personal security around your home. It will also help keep the stuff in your home safer. When you have a 9-5 job, it’s hard to change things. I used to vary radically what time I left by either going to the gym before work sometime or getting extra things done before work. I would also vary the time I came home by doing the same.
Coming home can be just as dangerous as leaving the house. If you have good locks and an alarm system, the easiest way to gain access to your home is for you to let them in. Burglars have been known to wait in the bushes for you to open the door and then follow you in. Most criminals are lazy and will not wait for long. Besides, the longer they have to wait, the more likely they are to get caught.
After you vary your schedule, also vary your route. Go different ways, including going the long way around the block. If someone sees you go left one day and right the next, they won’t know whether you are going to work or going to the store and will be back in 15 minutes. When you come home, do the same thing. If someone is hiding on one side of the bush and you drive up behind them, it makes it hard for them to hide.
Bottom line, vary your schedules and routes as much as possible. It’s one of the best things you can do to keep your home and self safe.
Stay Safe,
Ben