Criminal activity of all sorts has a spectrum of negative consequences not only for the direct victim, but also for the entire extended family and friends. When it comes to burglaries, the negative effects are also felt by neighbors in the area of the house that has been victimized. While they may have been lucky the first time the intruder came down the block, without a home alarm system, any house could be the next target.

Some families have been lucky thus far, in that they cannot recall the last time the police were in the neighborhood investigating a burglary. Sometimes households extrapolate this and decide that it is not necessary to install a home alarm. Because burglars have not targeted the neighborhood in the recent past, such investments are not necessary for their particular block. Other times people might know that their situation is unsafe, but use the lack of criminal activity overall to justify not taking additional preventative action.

Unfortunately, this attitude can have extremely detrimental effects for not just the victimized household, but for the neighborhood as a house. Burglars try to target new communities as frequently as possible, in order to avoid suspicion and to reduce the chances that the households will have anticipated their entry. Therefore, even if you live in a place that has not seen many intruders in recent years, protecting your house is of the utmost importance.

If an intruder does enter a house on your block, the impact can be extremely negative. People might start to become paranoid or overly suspicious, which can cause many misunderstandings. Many households do not recognize the faces of the people who live on the block, and could accidently report a potential intruder to the police. Following a burglary, every household becomes more nervous and anxious, easily frightened by the smallest occurrences. If another crime happens to a house unprotected by a home alarm, chances are that people will become increasingly negative about the situation and even suspicious of one another. Such a climate of apprehension and fear is not a healthy or desirable place to live.

Just as one burglary can demoralize and frighten an entire neighborhood, a few preventative steps can help make the place safer for all. Establishing a Neighborhood Watch or similar association helps bring together the heads of all the households on the block. You can also use future group meetings as opportunities to discuss the importance of home alarm systems for each and every household.

Safe communities provide the foundations for happy and healthy families and individuals. Threats to your physical and material well-being undermine the ability of your household to grow as it should. A proactive approach, including the formation of a community-based group and the installations of systems that respond to intruders, ensures that the home security of each household is protected and increased. When a community works together to prevent crime, each community member benefits from a safe neighborhood and each family is able to thrive.