The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing everyone to the limit. Millions are struggling with unemployment and the government is depriving the unemployed of enough sustenance to survive for the coming months. Rent is high. Food is expensive; the crime rate in many areas is staying bad. As the months of 2020 raged on, the crime rate has been trending upwards. While vaccine rollout is undergoing, the unemployment rate is still going nowhere. Businesses are struggling to get back on track. There are estimated hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide that were forced to close down because of the pandemic.
Idle minds are the devil’s workshop. With the unemployment rate going up, some crime rates are going up, while some are trending down. Surprisingly, property-related crimes are on the downward drift. Some are saying that the lockdown prevented the usual movement between people. Now that authorities are watching the outside for lockdown violators, people who had evil intentions were prevented from moving as much as they want to. Most crimes are committed under the guise of normalcy. Now that everything is as unusual as it can be, offenders are having a hard time thinking of ways to take advantage of the vulnerable.
Within a community, some crimes are not even reported. Reporting crimes is slightly still under some stigma due to the cultural belief that the police are not as trustworthy.
Fortunately, the world is opening back up again. As the vaccine rollout revives what was lost, most are under the impression that the world will be back to normal instantly. We mustn’t let our guard down immediately. How do we keep our neighborhoods safe in these difficult times?
Organizing Community Efforts
Organizing efforts for safety within your community is vital. Communication is key in every move you make to improve security within your neighborhood. Without communicating security concerns within your community, everyone will be left fending off for themselves. A community effort lessens the amount of energy you need to expend to safeguard your neighborhood. The concept of a neighborhood stems from our need to be social and be around people. Isolation tends to kill people easily. By taking community efforts seriously, we benefit from each other.
Security System Installation
Asking everyone to pitch in to install a security system within the bounds of the community might seem to be over budget. Not a lot of neighborhood associations have enough budget for a server and a set of cameras. However, convincing everyone to have these systems installed can be easy if they knew that it is for everyone’s benefit.
Shopping for a specific system will be the easiest task to do when finding a reliable security system. As an example, SMS Security offers a quality set of closed-circuit television system which are cheap, effective, and trustworthy. One does not need to go overboard when it comes to hunting for good ones. Even just a set of cameras facing the street can work wonders.
Better Lighting
Lighting has historically prevented countless crimes from occurring. Identification is the main enemy of evildoers. Cameras and memory can only take you so far. Without proper lighting, you can never clearly identify a person even if you try really hard. With cameras and your eyes but without proper lighting, you are akin and similar to a knight with their sword but without their shield.
Lighting can easily prevent even the pettiest crimes from happening. Shared lighting among neighbors prevents the usual crimes from happening. While your street may be safe, not everyone is granted that privilege. Lighting is a cheap alternative to keep everyone safe.
Burglaries and robberies happen at catastrophic levels at a per-minute rate. For example, there is at least one incidence of theft happening every 30 seconds in the United States. You can really never tell with people. More importantly, you can never tell with desperate people. Literally, millions are pushed to hunger, eviction, and desperation as many companies are trimming down on their employees. A lot is left without a job. The community can only do so much to educate and feed those in need within their community. Outside risks are always involved.
By being proactive and being ahead of the curve, you can always stay ahead and on top of the problem. Involving your community in enforcing better security for your neighborhood can reap great rewards. Security efforts need not be expensive. By getting everyone on board, you can greatly reduce the amount you must spend to improve security and keep the people in your community safe.
