Do you know what helps prevent burglaries?
It's not harsher fines. It's not longer jail times. It's simply this: Make the burglar feel like they're more likely to be caught when attempting the crime. That's it. According to studies, it's less about what happens to them, but the perception that anything will happen to them at all.
With that in mind, here are 3 proven ways you can make your neighborhood safer by increasing the perception in a burglar's mind that they will be caught.
Get your neighbor to install a security system
According to a study by Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, "Neighborhoods in which burglar alarms were densely installed have fewer incidents of residential burglaries than the neighborhoods with fewer burglar alarms."
So getting your neighbors to install a security system not only makes their home safer, but your whole neighborhood as well.
(By the way, we give you cash when you refer someone to Ackerman Security!)
Start a neighborhood watch program
The FBI reports that areas with an active Neighborhood Watch program are 43% less likely to become a target of criminal activity.
Another review by the U.S. Department of Justice states, "Across all eligible studies combined, Neighborhood Watch was associated with a reduction in crime."
Watch programs work because they:
- Increase surveillance
- Improve communication with local law enforcement
- Train residents for what to do if they do spot crime
Support treatment for drug abuse
Areas with high drug use also have increased crime rates. It's sad, but many burglars steal as a means to an end: financing their drug addiction.
So one way to make your neighborhood safer is to help support drug abuse programs, which have been shown to reduce crime.
A study by the U.S. Department of Justice states that, "Studies of substance abuse treatment-both voluntary and involuntary-demonstrate declines in criminal activity, declines that remain after completion of treatment."
Did you find this article helpful? Read our other articles on home security tips and tactics!
