5 Common Mistakes Regarding Keeping Your Neighborhood Safe

Keeping your neighborhood safe from thieves, attackers, vandals, and other criminals is a big task, but it is an important one! Neighborhood safety is a big job, and it starts with you! Yet, you are not an expert. Because of this, you may believe some common mistakes and myths that are making your neighborhood less safe, not more so. Let’s look at some of these now: 

“I don’t want to be taken advantage of, so I don’t want to get to know anyone around me.” Stop!Many experts say that getting to know your neighbors on a personal level is the number one way to keep crime down in your community. It is incredibly helpful if the residents of your neighborhood know when a neighbor will be out of town, whether they have family or friends who are allowed to come over when no one else is home, which cars belong there, and more. Let each other know if one of you are expecting workers at the house that day, so a big white van in the driveway is a sign of trouble that everyone can spot. 

“I don’t want anyone to know my personal information. That way, hackers cannot get it!” Being aware of who is in your neighborhood who shouldn’t be and what could be suspicious activity will go along way toward a crime-free neighborhood. How can you ask your neighbors if a white van should be in their driveway if you don’t have a way to reach them? Neighbors should have a way to contact each other while they’re gone and something is amiss on their property. A community message board, either online or physically in the clubhouse, is a great way to stay in touch.

“I don’t want anyone wandering the streets, so it should be as dark as possible.” Keeping your neighborhood dark will serve the opposite purpose.Street lamps are a big crime deterrent! In addition, ask that each household turn on their porch lights in the evenings and install motion-sensor lights in the backs or sides of the house so potential intruders don’t have the darkness to hide in.

“If I keep my bushes and flowerbeds long, no one can get to my windows.” Again, the opposite is true. Criminals actually target a place that looks like no one cares about it. As well, a well-kept yard also provides fewer places for suspicious persons to take cover. Fewer hiding spots means fewer criminals! 

“I love my home and so I can handle security all on my own.” You can’t be everywhere at once; you need to sleep and eat! Because of this, you cannot and should not do it all on your own, of course. Mobile patrol services in Austin should not be done by neighborhood volunteers, but by a team of trained professionals. There are companies right here in town that specialize in Austin mobile patrol service. These experts will patrol the entire neighborhood.

Contact a company that handles mobile patrol in Austin. Once a professional is on the job patrolling the streets, you can tackle some of the other things on this list, like getting to know your neighbors and trimming your bushes back.

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statewidepatrol Joined: May 23rd, 2019