Surviving a Home Invasion

Just the thought of waking up in the middle of the night by the sound of a broken window gives most of us the chills, however with millions of home break ins every year in the US alone tonight could be your "Home Invasion".

Avoid being the target

With around 1.65 million home invasions per year. The first step everyone shou-

ld take is avoiding being the target. There are many reasons a burglar or assailant may try to break into your home and some of those might be our fault (to some extent). One good example is flaunting money around, jewelry, expensive cars etc. When I mentioned it could be our fault, I don't mean that we shouldn't live our lives to the fullest and do what makes us happy. If flashing a huge diamond ring around the neighborhood or convenience store makes you happy then kudos to you, but that guy there standing in the corner also noticed that beautiful ring, and that is all I'm trying to say. It's always best to blend in and be practically invisible to prying eyes. This means always realizing that what you are letting others see, is what they might want to take from you. The less they see and know, the less chance anyone will go after you. Don't forget that home invasions are targeted. Burglars always know they might come out with their hands full; they plan accordingly and survey the area to maximize the chances of a good payday. It pays to be on the lookout, always knowing who is around you, if someone looks suspicious or is following you. Security systems, cameras, lights, alarms and all the good tech stuff of today will also make your life easier and sometimes even worry free. If you are more of a "hands-on" kind of person then a firearm might be a good choice, however we encourage you to get proper training and ensure you are not breaking any laws when keeping or using the weapon. Defending Yourself Little or no security.

You are in bed fast asleep, suddenly weird sounds wake you up, someone is in your house! Imagine being caught in the middle of the night with no means of security, no alarms, no cameras and no way (weapons) of defending yourself. In this scenario, we should only focus on alerting the authorities, hiding or evacuating the house as quietly as possible, even if this involves climbing out a window and onto the roof. Anywhere, should be safer than inside the house with a burglar whose nobody knows what is capable of doing. Once relatively safe you can call for help, it never helped anyone being caught by an intruder while being on the phone with 911 screaming their lungs out "help, help". Stay calm, grab your phone and run for cover, then dial. I wouldn't explain much, be quick. Your name, address and situation. Sometimes simply saying you need help at "your address" is enough to ensure a squad car stopping by and knocking at your door within minutes of the call. Never attack an intruder unless you are sure they will be out cold. If the intruder has a weapon and you don't, jumping on them will only ensure you are either shot or stabbed, depending on the weapon. Find an alternative, sometimes there is no other choice than to cooperate. If they seem in a hurry and only after your valuables, the best course of action is handing those over as your life is far more valuable. If the intruder starts groping or hurting you then he might be after something more than a payday, in this situation you must fight for your life because it might be at stake. It is always better if the intruder is only after money, breaks in, steals some things and leaves. But this is rarely the case when the homeowner meets the intruder, it is in our nature to try and take care of our hard-earned money, and by doing so it might become a fight to the death with a stranger that has practically nothing to lose. Defending Yourself Plenty of security.

Ideally, a safe room, plenty of cameras, alarm systems, weapons etc. will give you the biggest chance at surviving an attack. By locking yourself in the saferoom you can stay away from harm and from the safety of the fortified walls call for help. Not everyone can afford a safe room, but most of us can definitely afford a good camera and alarm system, and a firearm if desired. Now when looking back at the first scenario, with the camera system, alarms and weapon. We should be woken up by an alarm, depending on the system it might even go off before the burglar reaches the home (perimeter alert). By the time he figures a way in you had already caught him on camera, alerted the police and got ready to confront him. The best course of action would be to turn on outside lights, set off a siren which many outdoor cameras have installed from factory, and if that doesn't work some cameras have a speaker system where you can literally let him know you are watching him, and the police is on the way. If he persists, then you know it will be a life-or-death situation because no one in their right minds will keep trying to break into a home when they have been told the police have been called. Whatever you do NEVER tell an attacker that you are armed. Reason being, if they are also armed, they will be sure to shoot on sight, and you won't have much of a chance at getting a shot off. It is best if they think you are alone, unarmed and afraid. Once they are inside your home you must defend yourself and if you are armed, well that might be the best way to go. Here is where proper training comes in, aim and shoot, save munitions and be ready to reload if necessary. Blindingly shooting your gun off in a general direction might ensure the burglar leaves but you might end up shooting a police officer or even a neighbor that heard the commotion and came to check on you.

Be safe, take measures to prevent your home invasion.