Neighborhoods with HOAs are often very secure places in which to live. However, there are a lot of pitfalls that can affect your neighborhood’s security, making it more vulnerable. Check out these four tips to help keep your neighborhood safe.
Know Your Vulnerabilities
The first thing you need to do is find the neighborhood’s vulnerabilities. This is done by physically patrolling and examining every area of the community. The most obvious vulnerable spots are places where it’s easy to hide. If there are a lot of high bushes and shadows in one spot, it makes a great place for criminals to hide and plan their invasion. Once you know the vulnerabilities, you can start correcting these problems. If there are a lot of high bushes, trim them. If there are a lot of dark areas, add some light. Give criminals no place to hide by increasing visibility.
Don’t Rely on a Single Security Measure
There are a lot of different types of security measures: cameras, landscaping, guards, fences, gates, etc. However, you shouldn’t only rely on one security measure. If your community is protected by a fence, that’s great, but is there anyone guarding the fence or is there a code required to enter? A fence doesn’t do much good if the gate is always wide open. Another example is when communities have a lot of cameras with no one to watch them. You’ll get a good video of someone vandalizing a car after the fact. However, if you have someone watching the cameras, you may be able to catch the criminal in the act.
Get the Community Involved
One last way to drastically boost neighborhood security is to get the community involved, and this can be done in many ways. First, you can encourage homeowners to keep their own yards secure by trimming bushes and installing exterior lights. Second, you can create a community watch with volunteers to patrol the neighborhood. Last, you can foster a sense of community with community events. These make everyone feel closer, so they are more inclined to watch out for each other and each other’s property. Plus, criminals are more likely to choose a neighborhood where people keep to themselves instead of one where everyone is friends.
Having a neighborhood that is secure is a huge benefit for any community, but there are a lot of mistakes the HOA can make along the way to creating that safe community. The best way to ensure safety is to know your weaknesses, have a robust security plan and to get everyone involved.
CAM Voice 