Posts
Beware; some prominent neighborhoods have recently been hit.
At least twice a week Mr Handyman gets a call from a
panicked homeowner that has just recently been a victim of a break-in and is in
need to have their door fixed or replaced.
The volume of calls has increased over the past few months. Maybe it’s an indicator of the amount of
crime going on in our city.
A recent internet article discussed three ways to help
prevent a robbery at your home. The
information was old at best and showed a lack of research on the part of the
author. He stated by installing a deadbolt
lock in addition to the handle lock it would stop a potential break-in. That is simply not the case. In almost every case where we respond to a
door repair from a break-in a deadbolt lock had been installed and failed just
as easily as the single locking device.
It’s not the locking devices that fail but rather the door frame fails,
allowing easy access.
If you open up your front door and look at the door frame you
will see the small amount of wood between the strike hole (where the locking
plunger enters when locked) and the interior of your home. There is about ¾ to
1 inch of soft, pine wood. It is easily
broken out with a swift kick or two.
Many homeowners in nicer, west Omaha neighborhoods have an alarm system
installed in their home thinking it will stop a criminal from breaking into
their home. Some believe the yard sign
alone acts like a deterrent, that a burglar may pass over a particular home
with an alarm company logo out front but will it actually stop the determined
criminal from breaking in? He may need his "fix" and needs to peddle your wares to get it.
A determined burglar does not fear the alarm company yard
sign. He knows with one swift kick on
the door he and his band of thieves can rummage through your home, gather up
their bounty, load up their stolen vehicle and be gone before the police are
able to respond. The average police
response time nationwide is seven minutes.
That’s once the police have been notified, after the alarm company has
gone through their call procedures.
Realistically, more than 10 minutes may pass before the black and white
vehicle pulls up.
The best defense is to keep them from gaining entry in the
first place. The door frame fails
because the small amount of soft wood just cannot take the force applied in the
kick-in. It’s relatively easy for
someone to kick-in with enough force to bust through it.
Mr Handyman sells and installs a door protection system that
reinforces the door frame, the door hinge side and the handle area that will
stop the easy access into your home. If
they want in, make them work for it, let it take all sorts of time, let it make
all sorts of noise to alert your neighbors.
Most likely they will move on to another home. It is inexpensive and would be a great
addition to your home security system.
Call and ask for Dan at 402-502-5212 for more information.
