 | ||
| (Photo courtesy of Pixabay) |
The desire to stay alive is innate in human behavior. This inherent conduct is true even for animals, like the mother Hen securing herself and her chicks from the predacious Hawk hovering in the sky. Self-preservation is a natural instinct, and it is an intrinsic part of human’s defense mechanism.
Although I don’t subscribe to Darwinism, yet the philosophy of “survival of the fittest and the elimination of the unfit” applies to personal security. If you live in a high-risk country, you are vulnerable to attack--not only against your personal being but also of your family and your property. Thus, the best defense against the malefactors is to keep yourself and your family protected even at home.
Remember what Sir Edward Coke said in The Institutes of the Laws of England in 1628? Coke declared, "For a man's house is his castle, and each man's home is his safest refuge." This adage has no time expiration. It was a spot-on maxim centuries ago, and it is still true even today.
In the olden days, a King would order his royal guards to keep a vigil in the towers to protect the castle from invaders, and at times, he would instruct the gatekeepers to raise the drawbridge to prevent the enemies from gaining access to the castle. This same security philosophy is applicable today, and even without the luxury of having a regiment of royal guards at your disposal, you can protect everyone at home using simple steps as outlined below.
The following are necessary home-safety measures that you can use in securing your house and safeguarding your family from intrusions. Remember, the guidelines below are adaptable to various settings—whether you live in rural area or in urban center.
Do’s
1. Fit locks to outer doors. Ideally, exterior doors should be of solid construction. If the doors have glass fixtures, cover the doors with blinds or curtains from the inside.
2. Know where you keep the door keys.
3. Use strong chains or bars on outer doors and gates.
4. Check visitors through a peephole or from adjacent windows before opening the door.
5. Fit window locks on ground-floor windows and on any windows on upper floors, especially those hidden from the view of the passers-by. Any openings/windows not normally used can be permanently secured by screwing the window to the frame.
6. Hang a non-see-through curtain in rooms commonly used by the family.
7. Light the approaches to your house and garage. Make sure the exterior lights are placed out of reach. Check the lighting system from time to time. A time-delayed type of system is ideal.
8. Leave a porch light on or in the area of the front door during hours of darkness. A motion-detector lights are excellent in the yards.
9. Always have reserve lighting equipment available in your home, such as flashlights, candles, and hand lamps. Make sure you have spare batteries. A cheap gasoline-powered generator is ideal if you live in the suburb.
10. Consider also the use of other types of security lighting system for use in emergency situations. Lights placed at strategic points make it difficult for the attackers to hide in the shadows or behind the shrubberies.
Although I don’t subscribe to Darwinism, yet the philosophy of “survival of the fittest and the elimination of the unfit” applies to personal security. If you live in a high-risk country, you are vulnerable to attack--not only against your personal being but also of your family and your property. Thus, the best defense against the malefactors is to keep yourself and your family protected even at home.
Remember what Sir Edward Coke said in The Institutes of the Laws of England in 1628? Coke declared, "For a man's house is his castle, and each man's home is his safest refuge." This adage has no time expiration. It was a spot-on maxim centuries ago, and it is still true even today.
In the olden days, a King would order his royal guards to keep a vigil in the towers to protect the castle from invaders, and at times, he would instruct the gatekeepers to raise the drawbridge to prevent the enemies from gaining access to the castle. This same security philosophy is applicable today, and even without the luxury of having a regiment of royal guards at your disposal, you can protect everyone at home using simple steps as outlined below.
The following are necessary home-safety measures that you can use in securing your house and safeguarding your family from intrusions. Remember, the guidelines below are adaptable to various settings—whether you live in rural area or in urban center.
Do’s
1. Fit locks to outer doors. Ideally, exterior doors should be of solid construction. If the doors have glass fixtures, cover the doors with blinds or curtains from the inside.
2. Know where you keep the door keys.
3. Use strong chains or bars on outer doors and gates.
4. Check visitors through a peephole or from adjacent windows before opening the door.
5. Fit window locks on ground-floor windows and on any windows on upper floors, especially those hidden from the view of the passers-by. Any openings/windows not normally used can be permanently secured by screwing the window to the frame.
6. Hang a non-see-through curtain in rooms commonly used by the family.
7. Light the approaches to your house and garage. Make sure the exterior lights are placed out of reach. Check the lighting system from time to time. A time-delayed type of system is ideal.
8. Leave a porch light on or in the area of the front door during hours of darkness. A motion-detector lights are excellent in the yards.
9. Always have reserve lighting equipment available in your home, such as flashlights, candles, and hand lamps. Make sure you have spare batteries. A cheap gasoline-powered generator is ideal if you live in the suburb.
10. Consider also the use of other types of security lighting system for use in emergency situations. Lights placed at strategic points make it difficult for the attackers to hide in the shadows or behind the shrubberies.
