Buzz
Your home is your castle, a place where you should always feel safe and secure. Unfortunately, burglars can break in to steal money and valuables. Typically, they aim to take your belongings without harming you, but they are still terrifying! If you hear an intruder, try to hide if possible. Another option is to shout that you’ve called the police and use household items to defend yourself. Meanwhile, you should reinforce your home to make it less vulnerable to break-ins.
Steps
Hide from the Intruder
Escape the house if possible. Generally, it’s better to leave the house when there’s an intruder. Run to the nearest door or window to get out. Once you’re safe, call the police for help.
- If you have neighbors nearby, run to their house for safety. If not, find a place to hide, such as in bushes or behind a fence.
Hide in the nearest room or a closet with an internal lock. Look around and choose the safest hiding spot. If possible, move to a room or closet that can be locked. Enter the room and lock the door.
- You can also find a hiding spot within the room. For example, you can crawl under the bed or hide inside a closet for extra concealment.
Alternative Solution: If your home has a safe room, try to get inside it, but be very careful when moving around the house to avoid encountering the intruder.
Block the door to prevent the intruder from entering. If possible, push heavy furniture against the door to stop it from opening. Another method is to wedge a chair under the door handle to make it harder to push open. For outward-opening doors, loop a belt around the handle and anchor it to a heavy piece of furniture.
- For example, you can push a wardrobe in front of the bedroom door and then sit behind it.
Stay as quiet as possible to avoid detection. Once hidden, try not to make any noise. Avoid talking unless you're calling emergency services to report the intruder. Also, avoid moving or shifting anything.
- Ensure your phone is on silent or vibrate mode.
- Do not attempt to change your hiding spot, as this could create noise and draw attention.
Listen carefully to avoid being caught off guard. It’s terrifying, but the intruder might search the house for valuables. They could reach your hiding spot before the police arrive. Pay attention to the following clues:
- Do you hear footsteps or other noises approaching? If so, prepare to run or defend yourself.
- Do you hear the intruder talking to someone? If yes, there might be more than one person.
- Can you hear them collecting your belongings? This might help you guess their location.
Call the police once you're safely hidden. After finding a secure hiding spot, use your mobile phone to call for help. Provide the dispatcher with your name, home address, and inform them that there’s an intruder in your house. Explain that you’re hiding and need to stay quiet. Keep the phone on until they tell you it’s safe to hang up.
- Keep the phone volume low during the call to minimize the risk of being heard.
Tip: Don’t worry about calling the police in case of a false alarm. If you feel scared, it’s better to call them for peace of mind.
Confronting the Intruder
Only confront the intruder if hiding isn’t an option. Generally, avoiding a face-to-face encounter is safer than engaging with them. You don’t know the intruder’s intentions, and they might panic and harm you if they discover your presence. Focus on escaping or hiding as securely as possible.
- Safety comes first. Don’t risk your life to protect property!
- Remember, the intruder is more likely to be caught if you stay hidden and call the police. If they think no one is home, they’ll still be inside when the police arrive.
Yell “I’ve called the police!” to scare the intruder away. If you’re discovered or can’t find a hiding spot, shout that you’ve contacted the police. Repeat it several times to ensure they hear you. This might frighten the intruder and prompt them to leave.
- You can yell, “I’ve called the police! The police are on their way! They’ll be here any moment!”
Use a weapon for self-defense if available. If you own a firearm for protection, retrieve it immediately upon hearing an intruder and prepare to defend yourself.
- You can warn the intruder that you’re armed, such as by shouting, “I have a gun!” However, be aware that the intruder might also be armed.
- In some regions, you are legally allowed to shoot an intruder. However, laws vary, so familiarize yourself with local regulations. For example, shooting an intruder who is fleeing your property may not be legal.
Warning: If you choose to own a firearm for self-defense, undergo proper training to learn how to use it safely. Practice loading, aiming, and preventing others from disarming you.
Grab a knife if you’re near the kitchen. Don’t risk going to the kitchen for a knife, but if you’re already nearby, grab one when you hear an intruder. Hold it firmly to surprise the intruder if they approach.
- Knives are effective but can be difficult to use and may be taken from you. Avoid confronting the intruder directly; use the knife to deter them from coming closer.
Grab a heavy object to use as a weapon. You don’t need a traditional weapon to defend yourself. Use household items as makeshift weapons to gain an advantage. Attack the intruder if they come near. Examples include a baseball bat, a heavy pot or pan, a lamp, a trophy, or a wine bottle.
- To prepare for emergencies, keep heavy objects scattered around your home, such as near your bed, under the sofa, or in cabinets. This ensures you can quickly access a weapon in any room.
Target the intruder’s weak points to disable them. If you’re close to the intruder, aim for vulnerable areas. Kick a male intruder in the groin, then strike their eyes, nose, throat, or stomach. Use maximum force and then run away.
- Your goal isn’t to fight, injure, or detain the intruder but to disable them long enough to escape safely.
Ensuring Home Safety
Practice a safety plan for potential home intrusions. While the likelihood of a break-in is low, it’s still beneficial to prepare. Develop and rehearse a plan with your family to ensure everyone knows what to do. Consider the following steps:
- Establish escape routes from bedrooms and common areas.
- Agree on a code word to alert family members of an intruder.
- Designate a meeting spot for everyone to gather.
- Create a safe room by installing a heavy, lockable door in a specific area.
Always lock doors and windows. Don’t make it easy for intruders to enter. Ensure all doors and windows are securely locked, even when you’re home. This reduces the chances of a break-in.
- Check doors and windows nightly before bed to confirm they’re locked.
- Install additional locks on outward-opening doors.
Store valuables in the garage. Thieves often target easily accessible items, so don’t leave expensive tools or bicycles outside. Keep these items in the garage when not in use, and teach children not to leave belongings in the yard.
- Intruders may notice these items while scouting homes and return later to steal them.
Trim bushes and trees to eliminate hiding spots. While you might think dense foliage provides privacy, it also offers cover for intruders. Overgrown plants make it easier for thieves to lurk around your property. Remove these hiding spots by trimming shrubs and trees.
- If your home has multiple levels, cut back branches that could provide access to windows or balconies.
Install outdoor lighting to deter intruders. Burglars prefer to operate in the dark, so well-lit homes are less appealing. Place lights above entry doors and keep them on at night. Additionally, install motion-activated floodlights near the garage and sides of your house.
- Assess areas around your home that need better lighting to enhance security.
Use curtains or blinds to prevent thieves from seeing inside. Intruders often peek through windows to scout for valuables. Make it harder for them by installing curtains or blinds on all windows. This reduces the likelihood of your home being targeted.
- At night, ensure windows are fully covered. Indoor lighting can make your belongings clearly visible from outside.
Install security cameras as a deterrent. Burglars avoid being recorded, so visible cameras can discourage them from targeting your home. If a break-in occurs, the footage can also serve as evidence for the police. Place cameras near entry points like doors and the garage to ward off potential intruders.
- Cameras are more effective when they are easily noticeable to anyone approaching your property.
Set up a home alarm system to scare off intruders and call for help. An alarm system can deter burglars and alert authorities quickly. Research alarm service providers to find one that suits your needs and preferences, then have it installed.
- Display the alarm company’s sign outside your home to warn potential intruders that your property is protected.
Tips
- Burglars often target empty homes, so they’ll likely flee if they realize someone is inside. However, don’t rely on this! It’s best to hide if possible.
- If you see the intruder, try to remember as many details as possible. If they escape, you can provide this information to the police to aid their investigation.
- If you’re considering a pet, think about getting a large dog to deter potential intruders.
- If you’re genuinely concerned about break-ins, consider taking self-defense classes. This will prepare you to fend off an attacker and boost your confidence in emergencies.
- When using a mobile phone to call emergency services, keep it on vibrate mode. Otherwise, an incoming call could alert the intruder to your location.
Warning
- Familiarize yourself with self-defense laws. While some regions allow the use of deadly force against intruders, others have varying definitions of “reasonable force.”
- Always call the police if your home is burglarized to initiate an investigation.
