What are the Precautions to Take for the Security of Your Home?

Previously, under the title "Survival Measures for Mafia Godfathers", we briefly mentioned the general precautions that people who face a high risk or threat of attack should take. In this article, we will talk about the precautions that such people should take regarding their homes/residences.

First of all, if you are still working as a civil servant, you should prefer to live in housing units that are protected by a perimeter wall, if any, and that are entered through one or two gates or gateways, and where people entering and exiting through these gates or gateways are controlled. 

If you do not have the opportunity to live in such a lodging house, choose to live in buildings in complexes with similar characteristics. If you are an officer living in a detached building, if possible, have a wall built for perimeter security and have at most two entrance gates built. These gates should be manned by security personnel who control entry and exit.

If you live in a lodging or housing complex, choose a building that is not visible from the road, preferably in the middle of other buildings. If you live in a detached apartment building, never live on the ground floor. The ground floor is the easiest place for attackers to break in or attack with passing vehicles. Do not live in a penthouse either. Especially do not live in penthouses or duplexes with terraces. 

If attackers somehow manage to get into the apartment, they can go up to the roof through the elevator shaft and jump onto your terrace. From there, they can open the terrace door and enter your home. If you have to live in a terraced house, make sure your terrace door is metal and sturdy. Never leave the terrace door open. Always lock it. Put a table, cupboard, cabinet, etagere or something that can fall and make a noise behind the door to prevent anyone trying to force their way in at night or to give you an early warning. Do the same for your windows facing the terrace.

Do not sit on terraces and balconies for long periods of time. You will be an open target. You can be shot at from far distances and especially from buildings overlooking your terrace or balcony. You can also be spied on or bugged by directional antennas. Have your balconies glazed (they call them glass balconies) to prevent anyone from climbing in from outside. Preferably these windows should be dark in color and not visible from the outside. Never leave these windows open.

If you don't live in housing, don't put your name on the door and mailboxes. Do not neglect anything seemingly simple like this. It is important for your safety not to make it easy for them to find you. Have a camera on the doorbell of your apartment building. Do not open the apartment or house door without seeing the face of the person ringing the doorbell. Even if you see them, do not open the door to people you do not recognize. 

Speak through the intercom and ask what they want. Do not open the door if it is not a person you are expecting or if the person you are talking to says that he/she "pressed the buzzer wrong and that he/she is actually coming to someone else in the apartment". Ring the doorbell of the apartment he/she came from. If possible, call the person in the apartment and ask if they recognize the person at the door. If not, inform the security forces.

Make sure the doors of the house or apartment you live in are strong and the locks are secure. On the first day you move in, replace the door lock with a new one, even if it is a secure lock. Remember that the person who lived in the house before you may have lost some of the duplicate keys, given them to someone else or had them stolen. Consider that he or she may have kept a copy of the key for himself or herself when he or she later left the house with the intention of burglarizing it. 

Duplicate as many keys as there are people living in the house (your mother, father, spouse or children). If any member of the household loses the key, let them notify you immediately and replace the door lock the same day. Better still, keep a spare door lock in your home to use in such a situation.

Always keep your door closed day and night. Make sure that the safety lock or chain behind the door is fitted. If you are not going out for a short time, lock the door. Keep windows closed as well as doors. Keep your curtains thick and dark in color. This way, an outsider cannot even see the silhouette of those inside. 

Do not stand in front of windows. Do not open your windows and look out for long periods of time. If possible, have iron bars installed on your windows. However, these bars should not be such that someone looking from a distance would think, "Someone with security concerns lives in this house." They should be embroidered, as if you had them made for aesthetic purposes. Do not draw too much attention.

Do not rush to open the door for any purpose, especially at night. Before opening the door, listen for a while to see if there is anyone in front of the door. If necessary, look out the window unseen and check the entrance of the house or apartment and the street. Do not go out if you see people you do not recognize, people acting suspiciously or any other threat.

Remember that phones, especially smartphones, which are widely used today, can easily be tapped. They can be tapped not only by viruses sent to the system but also by remote antennas. In addition, their cameras can be activated to monitor your every move. For this reason, put your phone in a place where it cannot be seen from a door or window. Do not talk on the phone in front of a door or window. Put your phone in another room when discussing private matters or talking to your family about your daily activities. 

If you have a landline on your cell phone and in your home, have emergency numbers stored next to the landline. These numbers should be stored not only on your phone but also on the phones of everyone who lives in the same house. Let the household be aware of the numbers next to the landline phone. 

Teach family members the security measures to be taken. Check and rehearse if necessary. Inform your family about keeping secrets. Neither you nor other family members should share information about your family with anyone. When you are not at home, get the phone number, address, first and last name of anyone who calls you. Except for the voice of a threatening caller or a stalker, listen to the background noises and take notes, if possible record the conversation.

If you have a domestic helper, inform him/her in detail about the security measures. Tell him or her not to open the door or let anyone in while you are away. Do not let anyone in while you are away, even if they say they are a repairman or a policeman and even if they show proof of this. In fact, he should not open the door to anyone while you are away.

Do not accept people you do not know very well as guests in your home. Do not accept guests late at night, no matter who they are. Do not give face to people who show up at your doorstep and try to establish intimacy and do not let them into your home. If you live in a lodging or housing complex, instruct the staff not to let any visitor or guest in without calling you at the guardhouse. 

When you call a repairman to your home, call the repairmen in the complex or housing complex if available. If not, find out who is trustworthy and call them. Let the repairmen come to the house when you are at home. If possible, always have the same repairmen do your work. If an unfamiliar mechanic comes, check his/her identity. Call the repairman you contacted and ask why a different person was sent and confirm the identity of the person sent. 

Never leave the repairman alone at home. Stay with him while he is working. Do not ignore the possibility that he or she might plant a listening device or hidden camera, poison food or drinks, or plant explosives in the house. If possible, do not do anything else while the handyman is working and watch him.

Open packages brought by postmen in their presence. If the mail is from unknown persons, do not accept it. Do not take packages from outside without checking for weight, size, stains, etc. Do not order food from restaurants as much as possible. Question the change of regular distributors, such as water vendors and bottlers. Do not accept gifts from people you do not know. Tell this to your children as well. 

In conclusion, act like a paranoid. There is no such thing as excessive security. On the contrary, no matter what you do, you will still have some vulnerabilities. Constantly try to find these vulnerabilities. Always think about how you can improve security. We have a proverb: "Worry is no comfort, but it keeps you out of most trouble." Act according to this saying. 

"No way! You can't be so paranoid!" and don't take seriously those who criticize some of the measures you have taken, accuse you of overdoing it, and invite you to relax and unwind. Do not neglect even the smallest security measure. Remember. One or a few big measures cannot protect you. It is a combination of as many measures as possible, big or small. Most importantly, you must realize the seriousness of the situation and act accordingly.