Protecting your home against burglary, home invasion, and other types of property crimes can be a daunting task. You need to think like a criminal in order to devise strategies effective enough to keep real criminals away from your property. In researching some of those strategies, I kept coming across the word ‘visibility’. So I did some further research into how important it is.
It turns out that visibility relates to home security in three ways:
- How easily your home can be seen from the street.
- The views you have around your home.
- Criminals being able to clearly see the security measures you have put in place.
In the simplest possible terms, all three types of visibility are important to creating a safe and secure home. They are part and parcel of optimizing your home security strategy. Let us talk about them in more detail, beginning with how easily your home can be seen from the street.
Visibility from The Curb
Have you heard the term ‘curb appeal‘ in relation to selling a home? Curb appeal is more or less a measurement of how appealing your home is to potential buyers who see it from the street. Now let’s apply the same principle to home security. What people see from the street makes a difference.
Criminals like to do what they do in the shadows. They prefer to conceal their actions from potential onlookers. So when it comes to burglary and home invasions, burglars are more uneasy about homes that can be clearly seen from the street.
They are more attracted to homes with dense vegetation, bushes or shrubs that cover the first-floor windows, and any other obstacles from which they can derive cover.
Keeping your yard clean, trimmed, and free from unnecessary obstacles makes it easier to see the house from the street. Better street views mean more opportunities for criminals to get caught. That’s why experts like Vivint recommend maintaining a clear street view.
Your View of The Property
The second principle of visibility relates to your view of the property. Being able to keep an eye on things greatly reduces your chances of being caught unprepared should a criminal make his way to your home. But what are we talking about in practical terms?
When you are at work, do you have any means of keeping an eye on your house? How about when you are away on vacation? Even when you’re home, being able to keep an eye on what’s going on outside could make a world of difference.
One of the best ways to always give yourself real-time views of your home and property is to install video surveillance cameras. A camera aimed at the front door covers what could be the most common entry point for burglars.
Additional cameras covering the front and backyards, that big picture window, and other vulnerable spots guarantee you are never too far away from seeing what is happening.
Inside, a camera showing a clear view of the main entryway is a good idea. Additional cameras showing the back entry and the area immediately outside the master bedroom can provide valuable footage in the event a criminal does make it inside.
Security Strategy Visibility
Last but not least is the visibility of your security strategies. This point requires thinking like a criminal to fully grasp. Imagine you are preparing to break into a home with the intent to steal electronics and cash. You don’t want to get caught. What if you are walking up the driveway and suddenly see yard placards advertising that the home is protected by a nationwide security company?
Vivint Smart Home recommends visibly displaying security measures in order to thwart attempts to break in and steal. They make a good point. If a criminal knows that your home is protected by a security system and 24-hour monitoring, there is a good chance he will skip your house and move onto an easier target.
The point here is to make all your security strategies visible. Put the security placards in your yard. Put the stickers on your window. Make sure that the video camera trained on the front door is both out of reach but easy to see. Likewise for motion-sensitive lighting.
There is one additional way to secure your doors thanks to brilliant innovators and technology. With smart doorbells for monitoring people coming in and out, you can take advantage of an additional layer of security if your elderly or kids are home alone. They will be able to see the person on the other side and act accordingly.
Making an Effort Makes a Difference
Maintaining visibility is one of the big keys to preventing property crimes. There are certainly other strategies property owners can employ. But here is one thing to remember about visibility: if you make the effort to maintain visibility in all three areas, doing so will make a significant difference.
Always remember that criminals prey on the weak. They seek out careless people who do not pay attention. Criminals love to go after property owners who make little to no effort to secure their homes or protect their families. Any criminal who sees you making the effort will think twice.
There will always be people vulnerable to crime. You don’t have to be one of them. Every step you can take to make it more difficult for criminals to victimize you is yet another reason for them to not even try. That really is the key to this whole thing. The tougher you make it on criminals, the less likely they are to try to break in.
A Final Word About the Yard
I have one final word about your yard. Above and beyond maintaining visibility from the street, make an effort to take good care of your yard. Cut the grass on a regular basis. Do the edge trimming whenever you mow. Make sure to keep the yard clear of children’s toys, bicycles, yard tools, etc. A well-kept and manicured yard tells criminals you are paying attention.
As far as visibility is concerned, it is important. When everybody involved can clearly see what is going on, criminals get nervous. They would rather choose targets that are not visible to the street, aren’t visible to homeowners, and don’t have visible signs of protective measures in place.
