Blog home invasion
Violent crime seems to be on the rise. Last post we discussed V getting sprayed with pepper. In that case it appeared to be a stupid prank. It just as easily been the start of a home invasion.
Some home invasions are straight forward in that the perps know someone is home and the perps attack one of the doors breaking it open with brute force. The intention is to overwhelm the occupants before they can mount any soft of resistance. The perps have often dressed in black BDUs similar to how police SWAT teams dress. The manner of dress is intended to confuse the occupants even further. If the occupants are innocent they may believe that the intruders are real police and not resist and have gruesome results. On the other hand, the real police may be at the wrong address / raiding the wrong house, if the occupants resist they be shot by the police, if they resist and succeed in driving the intruders away [which is doubtful] then the government [police] calls in more fire power and they WILL get the occupants and at least charge them with resisting arrest & then take them to jail. Either way you are damned if you do or damned if you are passive. Basically you [your family] will have to war game it and decide how you plan to respond.
Another scenario is where the perps will send someone who looks innocent such as a young boy in V’s case or a female to knock at the door to get the occupants to open the door and then the rest of the ‘gang’ storms the door to get in. in some respects this scene is easier to deal with than what was presented above. The perps may well catch you off guard but at least there will be no doubt in your mind when the crap starts that they are criminals instead of maybe being the police.
OK, so what do you do to protect yourself and your family?
Install heavy duty chain devices on the doors with long screws into the frame of the door. If you have a solid door without near by windows you can have a peep hole installed so you can see who is at the door. Have motion activated lights at the doors and around the house if possible to both light the area and alert you to possible bad guys hiding. There are solar / battery powered lights to prevent the bad guys from cutting the house power and totally blacking you out. Make sure that the bushes are well trimmed around the house so that people can not hide behind them. A fence around your house and yard prevents people from saying that they are lost or that they are chasing their dog and other such lame excuses.
Security cameras are a good idea so that you can see all around the house and maybe even record it all so that the perps can be prosecuted. Some times even fake cameras will deter some crime.
Some people that I know keep a baseball bat [with ball and glove] near the doors so that they are always ready to play ball. ;] Others have been known to keep a sward handy for self defense. Of course you should check your local laws on all this. Some places have laws against fortifying your home to impede the police, but it is OK to do so to protect against criminals.