SELF DEFENSE, HOME DEFENSE, COMMON SENSE

[Harmonica]

I ALWAYS wear a seatbelt - always did.

I ALWAYS wore a SNELL rated MC helmet when riding - always.

I have been robbed, vandalized and broken into (my businesses) multiple times. Had state of the art video systems with hi-res color cameras all over. The Police NEVER caught one single criminal in any of the instances due to the cameras. Therefore I am reporting the real deal as it happened to me. I understand where you are coming from and still have video systems in place on my new home. Maybe they will capture and maybe they won't. Maybe they might deter a "smart criminal" maybe not. Maybe I will get the early warning and there might be a delay. One thing is for sure...... I will not count on and bet my life on a video surveillance system - not after so many disappointments!

Yes - I feel better about having one than not, but the theory has still not proven they are all that useful to me due to real life experience. Once again, if a woman is raped and it does get captured in video, guess what - she STILL got raped and you can't undo that - video or not! So a deterrent? A big maybe.

..BB posted numerous items--and they are all part of a layered defense for most average burglars....along with the camera, you should put up signs stating cameras in use--I just did

Cameras, according to the study, were effective as a deterrent for crimes such as car burglaries and property theft, but they had no significant effect on violent crimes./QUOTE]
Security Cameras Make Us Feel Safe, but Are They Worth the Invasion? - The New York Times.

While it’s clear that security cameras can’t deter 100 percent of crime, in general, most academic studies have found them to reduce and deter crime overall./QUOTE]https://www.security.org/security-cameras/deter-crime/

 

[zeke]

Great thread here, Chief...thanks for starting it.

Here's my 2 cents: Never, EVER discuss what firearms you own, especially amongst strangers.

When somebody asks me how many guns I have, my answer is "more than I need, and not as many as I want"...

Excellent advise. While circumstances are differing, am also not playing show and tell, even with the very few people let into the house. Although do post some pictures on this site. And while most people understandably won't follow this tack, my house, attire, personal appearance and attitude does not indicate anything of value. As am on a main thoroughfare connecting the the twin cities to vacations/outdoors activities, and always armed inside/outside the house. The whole area is lit up at night, especially with new street lights right out front. So well lit, have to use black out curtains in bedroom. And the big black dog barks at people that don't want to play.

Your best weapon, at least for most, is your brain.

 

[ancient-one]

...the other thing is awareness .....I always try to recon the area where I am parking, before I turn off the engine..when I step out of a doorway, or near a parking lot, I always recon the area as much as possible
...recon if some car is following me...or if someone is following me going out of a store .....
....my daughters think I'm obsessed with security--but it is just ''second nature''' ..I'm not ''scared, or obsessed with it ....

I have, several times in my life, parked my car and saw people, usually more than one, that caused me to park somewhere else.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Don't brag about your six month cruise on Facebook until you get back.

 

[Moo Moo]

In the newer suburbs of Sydney, where the larger 2 stores housing estates are situated, many of the Break and Enter offenses (burglaries) occur in these neighborhood, generally occur at Night. Aka Cat burglars-Offenders typically enter the ground floor areas of the house taking easily transportable items (wallets, jewellary) etc.

My suburb use to get a lot of "steal from Motor Vehicle" offenses at night where the victims vehicle is parted in their driveway. Most often these inicidents occur when it is raining and most of the time, these vehicles are not even locked by their owners.

When I worked in an Inner City area of Sydney, most Break and Enter offenses occurred during the day when everyone was at work. This was in the 1990's when Heroin was at its peak.

 

[CCantu357]

I love the many options we have to make our homes more secure. Security cameras and camera doorbells are now very affordable.

I also appreciate how efficient LED technology is. While in the past, people worried about the cost of leaving lights or a TV on. With LED, it seems you can pretty much light up your home like brothel and still use less energy than a few of those old bulbs.