By the time you have read the rest of this article at least two more burglaries will have occurred in the United States. Property crimes happen every 3 seconds and home burglary happens every 15 seconds, which is a scary thought. Normally when a burglar is looking for his next stop, he takes in all the houses in a specific neighborhood. Most study each place and look for weakness that they can exploit. How your home appears to the criminal tells him if he can succeed in breaking in or not. If he views it as a hard task chances are he’ll move on to the next one or leave the area entirely.

There are very inexpensive ways to protect yourself from intruders. Motion Activated Spotlights are an excellent way to protect the home. Most are fairly easy to install and inexpensive. Remember most burglars operate in the cloak of night so spotlights would definitely turn away potential break-ins. Signs for other alarm companies is a good way to inexpensively avoid being the target of a burglar. Burglars are often smart in the sense that they do their homework on homes they have plans to break into. If they see a sign that states the home is protected by a specific system then they are more likely to leave that house alone. Neighborhood Watch Program Signs are also a good way to avoid being victimized by said burglars. It is the same idea as the alarm company sign. If the burglars think that the area is being watched by anti-crime programs they are more likely to move on from the home. If you don’t have a program already going in your area then contact the local police force and they will start one. Dummy Surveillance cameras are also a very good item to have in cases of avoiding burglary. Most come equipped with a fake flashing red light and warning labels stating that the property is under surveillance. They are also a fraction of the cost of a real surveillance system. NRA stickers are very good to keep burglars away. These stickers warn the intruders that the person within the house is armed. It is best to place the sticker where it can be viewed from the road just for the added boost.

If you were to commit to memory and put into practice the following 10 tips on avoiding crime, it would go along way in protecting you or your family from being victims of the criminal element in our society.

1. Be Alert! Keep your head up. Be aware of your surroundings. Stay in well-lighted, busy areas. Avoid walking alone and avoid known trouble spots.

2. Vary Your Routines. Predictability makes you a more likely target.

3. Lock It! Home, car, office – locks are your first line of defense.

4. Make Your Home A Tough Target. Use floodlights, motion sensors, a security system, deadbolts, etc.

5. Foil Car-jackers. Keep windows/doors locked; check mirrors and blind spots when stopped. Stay one to one and a half lengths away from the car ahead of you when coming to a stop. This is necessary so that you have enough room to pull out in a hurry if someone approaches your car Sound your horn and flash your lights if you think you are approached by a car-jacker.

6. Avoid Car Theft. Lock it! As mentioned above this is your first line of defense. Use an anti-theft device. Turn the wheels when you park. This makes it harder for anyone who tries to move or tow your car. Never leave a spare key inside the car. Always park in a well-lighted place. Put packages in the trunk.

7. Be Creative. Think of unusual ways to protect yourself and your valuables.

8. Be Informed. Learn the crime trends in your area and work to protect yourselves against them. Knowledge and familiarized is great, but lack of knowledge or lack of being aware of your neighborhood or surrounding can be costly.

9. Get Involved. Have you joined or organized a Neighborhood Watch?

10. Do Not Give Up! Do not throw in the towel on “the war on crime.” Crime can be reduced with action, not apathy! Do not get discouraged or become to comfortable with you daily routines, stay aware.

The following of this advice is good protocol no matter where you live and work. Whether it be city or suburbia, north, south, and east or west.