Article #6

Home Invasion

Home invasion is a forceful entry into a dwelling with an intention to commit crimes such as robbery, assault, rape or even possibly murder. The difference between home invasion and burglary is that home invaders always have violent intent which might be specific or general and almost always they are armed with dangerous weapons such as guns, clubs and knives.

Home invaders enter the house for the purpose of committing an offense and they deliberately seek out the occupant. Some cases of home invasion include organized gangs raiding houses for money and other valuable goods. The punishment of home invasion greatly varies depending on country and state. In Australia and New Zealand it is not considered a crime while in New Hampshire, USA committing a home invasion that results with a murder is considered a capital crime. In most countries home invasion crimes are not considered to be technically specific crimes and criminals are charged for other crimes such as robbery, rape and homicide.
 

Petit Family Home Invasion Connecticut

One of the most brutal and horrific home invasions happened in Connecticut on the July of 2007 where a woman was killed along with her 11 and 17 year old daughters. The father of the family, the only survivor was later found badly beaten, tied up and bleeding in the basement of his own house.

The criminals Hayes and Komisarjevsky broke in the house, tied his wife and daughters to their beds, sexually assaulted and beat them to death with a baseball bat. Both of these men are waiting on the death row in 2011. The court has found them guilty in 16 of 17 counts. These criminals are mass murderers, mentally unstable people and sadly, there are countless other ones like them still wandering free.

Home Invasion - Protecting Your Family

Since most home invaders are mentally unstable, no-one can feel completely safe. However, there are some things to keep in mind in order to prevent home invasion. While burglars normally chose to enter private property during daytime because then the residence is mostly unoccupied, home invaders would more likely break in during night or weekends, when the house is occupied and use the force to gain whatever they want. They might target the resident as well as the dwelling - such as old, wealthy lady living alone for example.

They mostly enter the residence through the garage or front door. They often are pretending to be post workers or tell you lies about an accident such as hitting your fence with a car and alike. If you open the door for them, they would use violence to enter the house and put the occupants under control.

5 Tactical Tips to Survive a Home Invasion

1. The first step to prevent home invasion is to delay a home invader at the point of entry as long as possible. It might make him retreat or you would gain enough time to call the police.

2. Keep the doors, windows and garage always locked. If you have a door peephole, use it before opening the door. Never open door to strangers and call the police for help if the stranger acts suspicious.

3. It is always advisable to familiarize oneself with self defense techniques and apply them when necessary.

4. Some homeowners designate a safe room inside their home where they and their family might retreat. These safe rooms are designed to hold specific items to help you surviving, including a phone to call the police.

5. The best defense against home invasion still is education and planning. It is important to tell your children how to respond if someone calls at the door. Organize a family meeting to discuss possible actions to prevent home invasion and what to do when it actually happens.