Whether you live in a apartment complex, a rural village, or a security guard secured gated community, crime happens. While it is far more likely to happen in communities that don’t have the luxury of a security guard patrol, the reality is that crime exists everywhere. Here at APEX we do our absolute best to keep our clients safe and secured, on construction sites, in gated communities, and at conventions. Our stellar reputation and track record gives us hope that crime can be thwarted with a vigilant, but we’ll never let our guard down, and you shouldn’t either. Take these precautions to prevent break-ins, crime, and misfortune in your neighborhood.
Lock Doors – All Doors
When leaving your house or apartment, you should always double check to make sure your doors are locked. Even if you live in a mansion with 100 doors, check to make sure they are locked. Being a thief is not easy – we’ve all seen the movies, one small mistake and they are sullied! By locking your doors you make a thief’s job that much harder, instead of making it that much easier.
Leaving a Key Under the Mat Is Not Sly
“They’ll never look here!” If you leave a key under your front door mat, it will be found. The trick may not be the oldest one in the book, but it’s certainly been around long enough that every thief is aware to check under the mat. Mailboxes, fake stones, and light fixtures are also terrible, popular places to leave keys.
If you feel it is necessary to leave a key somewhere, in the off chance you lose yours, find a trustworthy neighbor, or a close by friend to leave a key with. If you do not have the luxury of a trustworthy neighbor, consider turning one of your traditional key locks into a smart-key lock, or a keypad. With non-traditional locks, like keypads, you can enter your house with a simple code or your smart phone!
Garage Doors and Sheds Should Be Secured
Sheds and garages hold valuable items, and while you might not think of this every day, criminals will. Don’t leave expensive possessions such as power tools, radios, and electric drills at risk by leaving your garage doors unlocked. Power tools have easy re-sell value. They are small and easy to move, and used-tool/tool rental shop will buy them right off the criminal that stole them from you.
Additionally, leaving a garage door or shed unlocked might indicate to a criminal that you are an irresponsible person, and that you may have left other doors open. If you home becomes seen as an easy target, you may end up with a break in.
See Something, Say Something
“See something, say something” has become a popular slogan for an initiative by the US Department of Homeland Security to report suspicious activity to prevent acts of terrorism and crime.
Apply this slogan to your neighborhood, spread the word, and organize your community. There is strength in numbers. According to a study conducted by the US Justice Department in 2008, Neighborhood Watch programs lead to a significant decrease in community crime. Work with your community, watch out for one another’s properties, and protect each other’s families. You can make the difference in your neighbor’s life by reporting suspicious activity, and they can make a difference in yours!
Apex Security Guards
Employing a security guards services agency is one way to take your neighborhood of gated community to the next level of security. Gated community guards do much more than just prevent crime in the communities, but that is certainly one of their most important tasks.
If you or your HOA is in need of a security guard team, call APEX Security at (407) 846-1435. We specialize in gated community security, construction site security, and convention security.