HOW TO AVOID OR SURVIVE A HOME SECURITY BREACH, INVASION OR ATTACK

Today we shall deliberate on a major security concern which has unfortunately led to lose of many lives and property in Nigeria. Different forms of security breaches exist but the most dreaded has always been the home security breach. This presents itself in the form of home invasions or attacks and the perpetrators are usually armed robbers, kidnappers or assassins. Very importantly, this post shall expose you to ways or how you can avoid a home security breach or survive a home attack if it occurs. Interestingly, these home security breach, attack or invasion survival strategies are not only for Nigerians, but for all.

 

Difference between a Home Invader and a Burglar

Previously, I wrote on waysyou can make your house unattractive to thieves or burglars. However, these bad elements are completely different from robbers, kidnappers or assassins. Thieves or burglars break in only when they know that the house occupants are not around. Their interests center on silently stealing valuables from your home and escaping without raising any dust. They do not intend to encounter any resistance or confrontation and would abandon their ugly mission if any alarm is sounded. Therefore, most thieves or burglars operate with concealed facial identity.

Contrarily, home invaders like armed robbers, kidnappers or assassins are willing to carry on with

Home Invasion (Source: globalalarms.net)

their mission at any expense. The end result of their attacks is usually fatal. They are not interested in their victim’s privacy, security or life. More seriously, they speedily eliminate whoever appears to be a threat to achieving their mission. For instance, most home invaders operate without facial masks and once they suspect that a familiar figure has sighted their faces which might give away their identities, such figures are speedily terminated. Consequently, it makes a typical home security breach by kidnappers, armed robbers or assassins a serious issue which warrants learning how best to avoid or survive such occasion if it ever happens.

You may ask – how do you know what type of home invasion is about to unfold? The truth is that you can never find out until such home invaders meet you. That is why it is very advisable never to give them any chance to either break in successfully or meet you. Armed robbers, kidnappers or assassins are one of the most psychopathically deranged people on earth. Hence, their mindset easily leads them to committing murder should they suspect any threat to the success of their mission. Thus, learning to avoid or survive any home invasion is the wisest home security measure to adopt in a home security breach-prone country like Nigeria.

Types of Home Security Breach or Invasion

Largely coined from the nature of occurrences, there are two types of home invasion;

v  Follow-in home invasion

v  Visitor-in home invasion

The follow-in home invasion occurs when any occupant or member of a home is consciously or unconsciously followed and used as an entry tool. Most times, the trail the household member until the latter unknowingly leads them into his home. Some other times, they confront the house member from the outside and compel the latter to lead them into their target home. Whichever way a home security breach or invasion occur, there is always little or no security plan or resistance in place as the house occupants are caught unawares.

However, there are two major ways to undermine the activities of the follow-in home invaders – enhancing your situational awareness strategy and crime suppression through environmental design. One way of enhancing your security situational awareness is by learning how to maximize your personal securityalong your regular walkway. This reduces the risks of you being trailed without your knowledge. But just in case you are been followed, do not panic or fear. Simply drive or walk you’re your home like you did not notice the trailer until you arrive at a safer place where you could seek help or raise alarm.

In addition, the disposition of your environment like your home or neighborhood design plays a major role in suppressing criminal activities around your home. A properly lighted home or environment and a non-bushy surrounding would present a home with some natural surveillance mechanism and no dark alley or hiding place for home invaders.

The Visitor-in home invasion occurs when the attackers break in to meet the house occupants and forcefully compel them to cooperate with them. Under this scenario, the warning sign given away is usually is the time, effort and noise expended as the invaders try to force open their target house. Hence, the preparedness and the ability of the occupants to avoid such security breach or attack lies on how much they know in this regard. Considering the trigger-happy attitude of home invaders, the victims have little or no choice except to cooperate to avoid being killed. However, with no mistakes in executing your invasion prevention plan, there are great chances that home security breaches or invasions could be stalled successfully.

In a typical home security breach or invasion, a prepared home owner stands greater chances of survival or avoidance than a non-prepared owner. Therefore, the keyword here becomes preparedness. Your level of preparedness depends on how knowledgeable you are. If you are hit for the first time by home invaders, it is most likely that you will make mistakes in handling the situation. Most invaders are so scared that the moment their victim makes any mistakes or wrong move, the former wastes no time in fatally harming their victims.

Therefore, the following are advocated towards being prepared to successfully avoid or survive a home security breach or invasion;

A Home Security Plan

A well-thought home security plan must be fully in place in case of any successful home invasions. Such security plans could come in the form of coded messaging or communication patterns among members of a home as well as laid down delegation of responsibilities relating to means of calling for help from the outside. Uncoordinated members of a home will surely make mistakes in the discharge of this home security plan. Therefore, whatever the home security plans may be, they must be well rehearsed and digested by all members of that home for effective execution during any home invasion.

Construct a Safe Room within your Home

It is advised that when homes are constructed, safe or strong rooms should be incorporated into the building plan. Homes with safe rooms stand better chances of surviving an aggressive home invasion or other security breaches. Safe rooms are specially constructed rooms built with fortified concrete all over. Their doors are made of impregnable steel or iron and good ventilation system installed inside. There should also be items like drinking water, active and loaded mobile communication gadgets, small foods like biscuits, torch lights, medical first aid kit and any other thing which may help to sustain life while help is contacted from within the safe room.

Remember that no level of fortification can prevent a forced entry but surely can delay their progress and buy you time while help is sourced during the waiting time. If your home does not have any safe rooms, then make sure that all doors and windows are heavily fortified with the proper burglary proof shields. A well secured home should have a tested and confirmed burglary proof which can at least delay any forced entry for a reasonable length of time while help is sourced from the outside.

Invent a Guardian Angel

This may sound strange to you but in effect, it means one who can always be contacted during such security emergencies and in return, he ensures that help comes to you in no distant time. this guardian angel must be aware that this is his role in your family and sometimes, such roles are complimentary between two people. Even when the security agencies have been contacted during a home invasion, the untiring efforts of your guardian angel can make a difference in rendering a home invader’s mission fruitless. Effective communication is the bedrock of a perfect security strategy.

Do not have just one Mobile Communication Line

Nigeria is a place where mobile communication lines work but most times, these networks are known to misbehave. When security emergencies come up and your conventional phone line could not successfully place phone calls, it becomes almost a suicide mission. Therefore, it is advised that there ought to be at least two network phone lines always at your disposal. They should always be charged up and loaded with airtime. No one knows when home invaders strike but being prepared keeps you on top of the game.

Hide your Kids from invaders’ line of fire or aggression

Having being delayed in trying to force open the doors, kidnappers, armed robbers or assassins could get frustrated and start shooting randomly. As you hide your kids in safe rooms or safe locations, it would keep them safe from stray or flying bullets. Remember to also protect yourself from such misguided missiles.

Switch-Off all Inside Lights; switch-On all Outside Lights

Keeping the inside dark while illuminating the outside can only hide you but make the invader more visible outside. This is absolutely necessary as you could more accurately examine the features of this intruder, feed the details to your helpers on phone calls and ultimately blind the invader from seeing what you are doing inside.

Possible Insider; Run Security Checks Personally

Your home invader may succeed because there may be a collaborator from within your home. This accomplice could position the door or window in a manner that may proof easy for security breach to occur. Therefore, personally conduct security checks round your home every night. Checking the doors and windows lastly every night leaves no doubt of security jeopardy. More importantly, do not harbor non-fully identified people in your home. They constitute a security threat. Should you have need to hire artisans for domestic home services, ensure that their identities are fully confirmed with their registered companies before you grant entry to such person.

You can actually avoid or survive a home security breach by following the above rules and more. To stay safe and secure in Nigeria, no security detail should be overlooked, no matter how minute it may be. Let us begin to stay safe and secure by starting to implement these security measures from our homes.