I was recently in the unfortunate position of having no choice but to listen to the news; I was at the doctors waiting room and they have TV screens everywhere. It wasn't pleasant.
I overheard a story about the importance of home security in a society where the crime rate is rising and in which, alarmingly, the cases of violent home invasion are increasing exponentially; a result of financial pressures and the increased cost of living I suppose...and the fact humans are fucken cunts.
I was thinking about my own level of home security (which is quite high) and my level of preparedness for what could occur, my willingness to act swiftly and without holding back. I'll not go into it here, the elements I have in place, but should I find someone in my home who is not meant to be there...it'll become somewhat of a kill zone and I'll show no mercy. That's just how it is; I will do what's required rather than accept a fate that's out of my control and will protect myself and my girlfriend until I cannot do so any longer...which would mean I'm dead already.
But I know so many who are woefully unprepared from a home security perspective and so unprepared to personally do what is required in situations like home invasions. Calling the police isn't an option, you're bashed, raped or killed long before they get there...which makes me wonder why so many people are content to be so unprepared. I see it as irresponsible.
It's a simple fact that crime is on the rise and our world isn't an idyllic and safe place. Being prepared is my way, it's an ingrained habit, and so I actively prepare for many different situations and am ready to act, but many do not and are not.
What's your deal? Do you think about personal and home security? Have you got plans in place to protect your family and are you prepared to do it?
Feel free to comment below if you want to.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
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Image(s) in this post are my own
I grew up in an absolute den of a neighborhood and my dad was obsessed with secreting various weaponry about the house. Precisely for the reasons you state above (mostly human cuntiness) that seeped into me and I am the same. Always be prepared!! Just wish I could have a gun or two!
Yeah, that's the way. There's loads of things a person can do to to mitigate the risk of home invasion it just takes some positive action which, for some reason, so many people are too lazy to do. Doesn't make sense to me.
On the gun thing...I'm happy to have many and know how to use them.
It's a definite plus on the security side having them.
It's just common sense. A woman I worked with heard a noise in the night and went to investigate and got shoved about by a burglar. I am like, no way the burglar works be getting out of my place in one piece
That's exactly the sort of thing that has the opportunity to go terribly wrong...she's lucky.
We feel so safe here, we don't even lock our doors at night. We're deep in the countryside surrounded by 14 acres of scrubland covered with thorny furze, CCTV with motion detectors, high walls with barbed wire and four savage hounds. If some ne'er-do-well manages to get past all that, he's welcome to my Bitcoin!:)
Yep, that's the preparation I'm talking about, so much better than none at all.
Out here we feel fairly safe, as we're backed up to a wildlife conservation area and a hunting preserve but that also makes for good places for the druggies to set up their meth labs. They stay mostly way out in the woods but on occasion there are thefts reported. The whole neighborhood goes hunting then lol. There's much more to be done security-wise and those things get done as time and funds allow. I do try to be as prepared as possible at any given time. One of the things I feel best about is the neighbor network...news flows quickly and help comes just as quickly when needed. Our version of a mutual aid society :-)
It's always good to hear about like-minded neighbours and communities pulling together to keep the collective safer, that's often the best thing because those looking to cause problems are less likely to mess with a group.
Here, a lot of elderly are targeted, some bashed very badly or worse, and I think that's because their vulnerability and state of solitude.
If I may make a suggestion to add into your defences. Army tank.
Oh I like the way you think! I would love to have a tank...In the downtime I would configure the turret to follow the sun and I would hang a basket of flowers on the cannon lol. You know, double duty type thing!
People who prey on kids, pets or the elderly are deserving of a special kind of justice over and above the norm.
Turret hanging plants...excellent idea!
Yep, predators...kill 'em all, I say.
I took my cameras into the city tonight. I felt daring and caught the train. I took my camera bag, but I put it inside a woolies freezer bag. I just pretended I was carrying groceries around. About $9k worth of camera "groceries", but no one batted an eye. I got to the venue, did the pictures, and just got back home, all on the train.
Security through obscurity. :) I also do have cameras and motion sensors at my home :) And they are quite elaborately integrated.
Plus, I have fucking excellent neighbors. That definitely helps too!
Having neighbours that you can rely on to some degree helps for sure.
You obviously think about security and that's how it should be. A little prior thought and action will always beat cluelessness.
Here in the train station you would be robbed even for 1 cigarette in the night
Lucky I'm not a smoker :)
We don't even have train stations... :-D But bus stations! And many of those! And most of them hot spots for pickpockets.
I carry. 'Nuff said?
Yep, says it all. I get it too. ✅
I agree!
Shoot now, ask questions later. 😄
I never know how I would react since I have never been in the situation... yet. I know what I think I would do though and what it would be my intent to do. I would not kill someone fast because I'm such a badass, but would do it because they scared me.
As my brother would say, you hesitate, you die.
One of the most important factors is to think about it and have some plans (a clue) about what may happen and how one may deal with it and react. Without that a person is usually taken by surprise and that rarely goes well.
I don't understand why people fuck around and just don't spend some time as above, the result is usually a better results when shit goes down.
I like your brother, seems to have a good concept of reality.
An attack on someone who broke into my home would end badly for him (probably dead), and according to the law of the country I live in, it would also end badly for me (I would be put in jail), but at least my home and my partner would be protected.
When they broke into my apartment, when no one was there and ransacked and stole some of my things and money, I set up an anti-burglary alarm system, and just in case, I put one stick (a broken hockey stick, shortened just enough for the possibility of close contact fighting) to be within reach if such an intrusion were to happen again.
I'd rather be in jail for slaying an intruder and know my girlfriend was not raped, bashed and killed than live with myself for having some nothing and no preparation. Being prepared doesn't mean it won't happen, just that there's a lesser risk and more chance of dealing with things when/if it does.
Home setting is basically a close combat situation where a knife or an axe is going to be just as effective or possibly more effective than a gun, especially a gun that is stored in a safe... A friend of mine has multiple loaded hand guns just laying around his house for that reason... I am a bit chicken to do that for various reasons, but I do have a really nice axe stashed on the second floor...
We also have multiple security cameras covering all entrances to the house, but I don't place much faith in those being helpful.
I have many cold weapons placed around the house and have thought through how to use general household items as weapons too. A lot of people thing guns are the way to go (I have many many guns) but it's not always the way...the law says so. (Equality of force and all).
I can be pretty effective with a desk lamp or some other such item depending on the situation.
I have a hatchet, 2x machetes, a WW1 bayonet, various knives, battons and the like...other things. The key is putting them in the right places (where I truders can't find them) knowing how to use them and be willing to.
A lot of people ipt for long things but that's not always the best in the close confines of a hallway or such places in the home where swinging baseball bat might be difficult.
The point being, it needs to be thought about.
Also, leaving loaded guns laying around us stupid and irresponsible and dangerous for a lot of reasons.
I'm at rent so I can't really do anything on the building, but I'm on second floor, it's a little safer
Honestly I'm concerned when I will buy a house, for sure alarms inside and outside, reinforced door and glasses...
I agree with you, if you enter my house you risk your life, you are taking that risk, the shit is that here if someone enters your house and you kill him you go to jail, you can only kill if you are really endangered, so if you spot someone in front of you and shoot, you go to jail unless he's threatening you with a weapon, it sucks, it's stupid but no one changes the law... They are not even advertising home security like there
There's ways to work around the law...and there's ways of incapacitating an intruder without killing him, although dead people came take the stand in court right?
Anyway, there is no way I'm sitting around cowering in fear, I'll act and then tell the cops when I call 000, I was in fear of my life, he was going to kill me, he said he was going to kill me, I thought he was going to kill me, I was in fear of my life, he tried to kill me and he said he was going to kill me and I was in fear for my life...repeat that over the phone and the recording will go a long way in court later down the track. Self defence is a defence. Besides, I'd rather be dead than know I didn't act and my girlfriend was harmed. I'd never be able to live with myself anyway.
Yeah you could always shoot the legs I guess, just that when in danger I think it just comes natural shoot the head or the body
True, you could fake you freaked out and yes I agree, it's better to do something rather than watch violence on who you love
Nope, centre mass (chest) is where you shoot...two there and one in the head.
When we lost our dog a little over a year ago I started thinking about this quite a bit. She was the sweetest thing, but her bark was a pretty good deterrent for anyone thinking about trying to get in our house. I installed a camera after she passed and we have always kept a bludgeoning device (baseball bat) near the bed in the bedroom. I also have deadbolts on the entry doors. There are guns, but I don't rely on those as I would be worried about a stray bullet traveling somewhere unwanted. I used to have some special made shot shells that didn't have quite as much powder, but I am not sure what happened to those.
Having funds doesn't mean one is safe and there's many factors that come u to play, not least of which is a person's inability to use it properly. I shoot 200-300 rounds a week or so and have many years of training. No worries, but the person who does not is more likely to fuck it up in a major way which is evidenced over and over.
You seem to have a good handle on it and that's good in this society where disaster is always just around the corner.
Yeah, that's part of the reason I rely on the bat versus the guns. Even my friend who has a lot of experience with guns prefers a bat. That had more to do with his kids sleeping in on the other side of the walls. He was always worried about stray bullets.
Luckily, I live in the center on a square, in the second floor. First floor is a restaurant. It's difficult to come in through the backyard, and the front is very visible - and I give the homeless guy sleeping at the church a blanket and a tea each time he's there. Also, I don't own much of value, which is one of the best protections. And we have many knifes around, which is always good. But Ecuador is not that favorable for defenders, the likelihood of being accused for hurting a robber is high. Anyway, if push comes to shove, I have a plan on how to react.
I'd imagine your life is of value. It's not always possessions a criminal is looking for.
It's good you have a plan. I hope you don't let the law get in the way of it because one day someone close to you may rely on your decisiveness and ability to act violently. I'd imagine you'd have trouble living with yourself should something terrible happen and you hadn't attempted to act.
Absolutely. The plans (different scenarios) have many variations including the story that the scene and the people will tell, and a law won't stop my from doing the right thing. Especially here, where laws are somewhat flexible.
Exactly!
At least you've thought about it which is more than most have.
Necessary here. Crime is in the rise, though Cotacachi seems to be very stable. My theory is that all gangs are washing their money here, as there are small saving-banks popping up everywhere. So it's like a treaty that nobody goes in here, as all have their money here.
Also, (white) foreigners are usually not the target to violent crime. Robbery while traveling, pickpocketing, all that, but it's very rare that something violent happens to a tourist or expat. Still, it only takes a few shitheads coming to together, hence the preparation.
Hmm ok, I'm brown so I'm probably going to be targeted, no worries though, I know a move or two.
*Actually, I'm a delectable shade of mocha.
Yeah, I was thinking about that and how to explain it. Maybe non-Latin-american foreigners would've been a better description. Also, I need to add that it depends on your economic status as well, where you live... there are so many more variables I haven't thought about.
When the Spanish built houses in Cuba, there was a low crime rate, so many houses didn’t even have bars on the windows. Over the years, the houses and architecture have been modified to protect these weak spots. My house is one of these examples.
When we moved in, it was an easy target, but my old man, being an exmilitary man, has been correcting every weakness.
He was just about to add a security camera system, but since there’s not much power now, it’s impossible to keep them running 24/7, so he’s looking for new options.
But yes, it’s a very important issue; theft has become quite normal in today’s society (at least in LATAM), and every day it gets harder to acquire goods, so we have to double our efforts
Society changes and so people need to change with it.
No one has bars on the windows here, well maybe someone does, but I've note seen one for years. But, with a rising crime rate some effort needs to made. It annoys me when people say, *I live in a safe area because that's bullshit. Bad things happen in good and bad suburbs.
Financial pressures make people do things they may not normally do and those doing petty things accelerate...so I work on the premise, "carry a big stick and know how to use it."
That is scary. But the path the world is going, survival of the fittest is the only way. So, it needs to be scary.
It is a little, but if you're prepared it will be less scary.
I absolutely agree, safety first, ask questions later. The world is becoming a jungle and defending oneself and family is top priority. Every home should have such security measures for emergencies. We can’t keep sitting around like little princesses lol
How do you work towards protection and security personally and generally for home security?
I live with family, and we have what we like to call security measures at home if you know what i mean lol, from previous bad experience I always lock the doors and I mean always. I do business at home and I don’t give out my address, I meet customers outside.
Locking the doors whether out or home is a good idea.
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STOPSi ese se ve con frecuencia es mejor estar preparado para resguardar la seguridad de nuestros seres queridos y la propia vida.
I don't speak or read German, sorry.
I showed Kelly your rig. Such a nice setup you have. 😉
I just asked her..:
She says..:
I've got loads of guns and know how to use them,but there's other skills needed too.
What most people lack is general awareness and the gumption to make some plans and preparation ahead of time. In the moment is too late.