Feeling secure at home is essential. This is, after all, where you live your life and store your belongings. It’s where you come to unwind at the end of a long day. You need to know that you’re as safe in the space as you can be.
This need for home safety becomes even more pressing when you have kids in the house. No one wants to raise kids in unsafe areas, after all. You’ll never be able to sleep if there’s a risk of intruders. You’ll worry all the time if your kids head out to play on a street known for its violence. Hence why most of us look out for crime rates before moving, so that we can ensure the well-being of our families.
Sometimes, though, even seemingly safe neighborhoods fall foul to crimes. If a neighbor’s house is broken into in even your quiet suburb, your first reaction may be to move. You didn’t see this coming, and you don’t like what it means for the future of your street. In the heat of the moment, you may vow not to raise your kids in a place like this for one moment longer.
But, then, you face the harsh reality of leaving your family home, and you can’t bear it. This is the place your kids have spent their whole lives until now, and it’s a wonderful place. It’s just the right size, and you’re within walking distance of their school. You can’t bear the idea of letting all that go. And, you don’t need to.
While sudden incidences of crime can throw you, it doesn’t need to spell the end to your happiness in the area. Instead of moving away in the heat of the moment, focus on making yourself feel safe again in the following ways.
Learn about the details of the crime
It can be difficult asking your neighbor for details of the break-in, but it’s essential you do this. Obviously, reliving what happened could be difficult for the person in question. As such, it’s crucial you approach this gently and ask the right questions. To keep from upsetting them, ask about facts such as how the thieves gained entry, and what they took. These two pieces of information could be vital in stopping the same thing happening to you. They could also work to put your mind at ease a little. Sometimes, crimes like these are targeted for specific belongings in one house. If that’s the case, an incident like this makes it no more likely that you’ll fall foul to a repeat crime. You may also be able to put your mind at ease if thieves got in through a door which was left unlocked. If, however, they broke in by forcing doors or windows, you’ll know to focus on…
Improving your home security
Once you know how and why this break-in took place, you’ll be able to focus on making sure you don’t fall foul to a copycat crime. If the thieves forced your neighbor’s windows, you could put alarms on yours. You could even install window locks to avoid the same fate. If they broke in through the back door, consider an alarm system which informs the police the moment an intruder enters your property. If those thieves took advantage of your neighbor’s being out, you could even install a smart security system which allows you to keep an eye on things from anywhere, using nothing more than your mobile phone. Not only do these steps increase your home security itself, but they can also put your mind at ease once more. With these plans in place, you won’t need to worry anymore. As easy as that, you’ll be able to go back to feeling as safe as you did before.
Keep the news from little ears
When something like this happens in a small neighborhood, the news tends to travel pretty fast. Sadly, then, our kids overhear us talking about matters like these. If that happens, no amount of effort on your part will make your little ones feel safe in their beds again. When you’re young, the idea of a home invasion is one of the worst possible. If it seems like a real possibility, then, your kids will struggle to sleep from then on. They may even become disruptive and unhappy due to their fears. Things could get so bad that you would have no choice but to move, regardless of your efforts elsewhere. Wherever possible, then, you need to stop your kids from hearing about this event. Avoid discussing it in front of them, and let other parents know that you would prefer things to be kept quiet. Then, your kids can stay feeling safe, and you can focus on the hard work of ensuring their trust isn’t misplaced.
Pull together as a community
Lastly, it’s crucial that you pull together as a community at a time like this. Too often, we go one month to the next without speaking to our neighbors at all. Some of us don’t even know who we live next door to. This brings its own downsides from a security perspective. If your neighbors don’t know you, after all, they’ll have no incentive to keep an eye on your house. If you don’t all work together, you’ll struggle to come up with cohesive street safety plans. After what’s happened, these are things you can’t do without. Your last step for rebuilding safety, then, should be to arrange a town meeting. There, you can brainstorm ideas for keeping your neighborhood safer. You can share your fears, and address each one in turn with practical solutions. You can even pull together to help raise money to repair your neighbor’s broken back door. These may seem like small steps, but they’ll go a considerable way towards keeping your area safe from now on. One thing’s sure; no one else should fall foul to theft when you present a united front like this one.