Deal With a Burglar Breaking Into Your Home

Most burglars that break into homes are looking for a quick score: electronics, jewelry and other expensive items. They usually don’t break in with the intention to harm you or your family, but some have more nefarious goals in mind. Burglars typically target empty homes, but might break in while you’re there if they thought you were gone, or if the haul seems huge. When you hear that crashing sound in the middle of the night, you won’t have time to figure out their intentions; you need to act. If you’re worried about having to deal with a burglar, you can make your home more secure, you can learn the best way to hide, or how to confront them if need be.

Steps

Making your Home more Secure

1. Prepare a plan. This is crucial if there are more than one person under the same room, especially with children. Designate a safe space, a room that can be easily locked and barricaded in the event of a burglary. You can make this your bedroom, or your child’s bedroom if you have children. Then designate a backup safe space, in case the path to your first option is blocked by the burglar.
   • Make sure the safe room has a phone you can easily access. This can be a landline, or simply a cellphone that is kept within, charged.
   • Establish an escape route in case your safe space is compromised. If your safe space is on the second floor, this could mean an escape ladder by the window.
2. Practice your plan. A masterful plan will fail brilliantly without masterful execution. Make sure everyone in your home knows exactly what to do in the event of a break-in. You can establish a safe word which, when shouted, will alert the household to an intruder. Use this word when you practice your plan, and your reaction to it will be instinctual.
3. Enhance your home’s security. There are a few things you can do to improve the security of your home. Some require more of a time or monetary investment, while others are simply good practice.
   • Lock your doors and windows. Even if you’re at home, just locking up your home can deter possible burglars.
   • Get to know your neighbors. They can keep an eye on your home when you’re away, and will be more willing to help the police in the case of a break-in.
   • Keep the outside of your home well-lit. This is especially important for your home’s entry points. Motion-activated floodlights will surprise and possibly scare off a would-be burglar.
   • Keep the blinds closed. This hides valuables from view and it will be harder to tell if you’re home or not.
   • Keep the lights on, even when out of the house. That way, your home looks less empty and less inviting.
4. Use your energy to prepare, not worry. It’s important to differentiate being prepared and living in fear. As you follow the above steps, learn to make them a habit, a normal part of life. This will go a long way to keeping you ready in case a burglar decides to enter your home as opposed to flinching at shadows.
   • If you find yourself constantly anxious and fearing a burglary, consider getting professional help to work through your worries.

Hiding from the Burglar

1. Listen closely. Hearing a strange noise is usually your first clue that there’s an intruder. You’ll also get a general idea of where the burglar is in relation to your position. There’s plenty that simple listening can tell you about your situation. Be "all-ears" and listen very closely to what the burglar is doing.
   • Do you hear footsteps or other noises coming your way?
   • Does it sound like the burglar is talking to someone else?
   • Can you hear your property being picked up and packed?
2. Try to stay where you are and lock the door. After locking the door, try to hide as best you can. Use heavy furniture to barricade the door, further impeding the burglar’s attempts to get inside. Don’t unlock the door until you are completely sure the area is safe or the burglar has left.
   • If the room you’re hiding in has a closet, hide in it as well. Lock it if possible.
   • If you can’t find a good hiding place or lock the door, you may need to move to a more secure room.
3. Be quiet. Don't make a peep. Do not, under any circumstances, yell out to the burglar; all this will do is give away your hideout and the burglar will find you faster. Breathe as quietly as you can. If you’re in the room with anyone else, don’t discuss your plan or argue about what to do.
4. Use a phone to call 911. If there’s a landline in your hiding place, use it, otherwise use your cellphone to call the emergency services. Make sure you know your address, because you will have to tell the operator your address so the police can come to your house and clear out the situation.
   • It’s important to keep your cellphone charged and nearby, so that you can quickly grab it as you hide.
   • Be prepared to give the operator a quick, concise description of the situation.
   • Any questions they ask is to determine how much help you need, so it’s important to describe the situation as accurately and urgently as possible.
5. Wait until emergency services arrive. Don’t leave your hiding place until the police arrive. Don’t leave until they can confirm to you that the area is safe. If they haven’t managed to catch the burglar, make sure to let them know about any particularly good hiding places in your home. That way they can check more thoroughly.
   • Be wary of the burglar pretending to be the police. If you can’t get a good look at their identification (say because you’re still hiding), you can call 911 to check if you’re dealing with a real police officer.

Confronting the burglar

1. Try to avoid confrontation. A burglar is usually looking for an empty home to rob. Most simply want an easy job for easy money, and don’t intend to confront a home’s occupants. Your first priority should be the lives of yourself and anyone else in your home, not your possessions. However, if a burglar threatens your life, or tries to take you somewhere with them, you’ll need to fight back.
   • If the burglar only wants your possessions, and asks you to do something like opening a safe, comply and cooperate. Your valuables are not worth your life!
2. Arm yourself. Unless you’re trained in self-defense and/or martial arts, confronting a burglar empty-handed is incredibly dangerous. Not only because you aren’t trained, but because they could be carrying a weapon themselves. Anything that can be used as a club, or thrown, is better than just your hands.
   • A variety of household items can be used as a weapon, such as sports equipment, keys or glass bottles. A baseball bat or a bottle of whiskey can be swung like a club, whereas keys can be used as a stabbing implement.
   • Try keeping a weapon near your bed. If you’re worried about burglaries happening at night, you might feel safer keeping a baseball bat or knife near your bed.
   • Pepper spray, while an efficient deterrent, isn’t legal in all jurisdictions. If it is legal to own, consider acquiring it, and learn how to use it properly.
3. Aim for the burglar’s most vulnerable spots. Your goal is to incapacitate them enough to facilitate your escape, not to win a prolonged fight. Don’t be afraid to fight dirty: you’re fighting for your life.
   • Strike at their legs to disable their movement. The knee is a particularly weak joint; a well placed kick or strike can completely destroy it.
   • Strike for the eyes, groin and throat to incapacitate. These spots are incredibly sensitive, and a good strike to one of them is enough to slow an attacker.
4. Escape. Don’t stay near the burglar any longer than you need to. If you’re able to fight back and create an opportunity to escape, use it! Make as much noise as possible when you do and contact emergency services.

Tips

• If you manage to see the burglar, try to memorize as many details about them as you can. If they get away, you can provide them to the police as they attempt to catch them.!
• Get a big dog. If you are worried about a break in or live in a bad neighborhood consider getting a big dog. Even if it doesn't actually attack the intruder, the barking and growling alone is usually a good enough deterrent. Plus, you will feel more secure and less vulnerable.
• If you insist on keeping a gun for self defense, make sure you keep it loaded and nearby. If you have children, make sure it is out of their reach (you may even need to keep it unloaded in this case). Take the necessary classes to learn how to properly fire, load and handle your weapon.
• If you’re particularly worried about a break-in, consider learning self-defense. It will make you more prepared to fight off an attacker and more confident in a crisis.
• If you use your cellphone to call emergency services, keep it on vibrate. Otherwise, there will be a loud ringtone if they need to call you back, which will alert the burglar to your location.
• Keep a phone in every room in your house. That way, no matter which room you are in or have to go in, you will have a phone available. And remember, you don't have to have service to call 911.

Warnings

• Learn your jurisdiction’s laws on self-defense. While some allow the use of lethal force when an individual breaks into your home, others have varying definitions of “reasonable force”.

Related Articles

• Hide from a Murderer
• Hide Things from Burglars

Sources and Citations

See also

• Get Away from an Attacker
• Respond to a Road Raged Driver
• Deal With a Crazy Cab Driver
• Stay Safe in a Parking Garage (for Women)
• Win Fights at School
• Throw a Knife Without It Spinning
• Stand up for Yourself
• Emotionally and Physically Protect Yourself
• Defend Yourself
• Avoid Being Shot

Read more ...

What links here

• Hide from a Murderer