Civil unrest is a reality of the modern world, and just like we’ve learned to live with a pandemic, we must also learn to live with this. Irrespective of whether you’re out on the streets or relaxing at home, civil disturbances can catch you off-guard at any point in time. We tend to ignore the social signals of unrest around us and carry on with our daily lives without securing our homes, assets, and neighborhood.
If you don’t pay attention to the news and arising threats, chances are quite high that any such disturbances might somehow involve you or your loved ones. Safety should be at the top of your priority list, even when you know that you live a peaceful neighborhood. A crowd of protestors can turn violent and damage your property without any provocation or compulsion. Thus, you must take all the safety measures at home to keep out of harm’s way. Of course, these tips help homeowners protect their things from criminals or other malicious people.
Gather as much information as possible
You must stay informed about your local as well as international events because you never know when a small event can trigger a response from multiple countries or regions. Don’t ignore what’s happening around you. In case you spot such disturbances in a city nearby, it is best to delay any journeys there. Instead, focus on staying at home and contacting your relatives that might live there.
Recently, the Kenosha riot affected thousands of people in the US. Most of the protestors came from other regions of the country. Additionally, the current situation in Belarus induces similar responses from the concerned society. While you might not be involved in any of these situations, it is always better to stay up to date with recent news. In some unfortunate scenarios, your neighborhood might be affected as well.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic also requires people to stay at home much more than usual. This routine means fewer burglaries or other invasion types, as criminals have fewer opportunities to find empty homes. However, cybercriminals are the ones taking advantage of the swift to remote lifestyle. Since thousands of people started to work from home, something that companies might not be prepared for, the cybercrime tendencies increased significantly. From coronavirus-related scams to simple attempts to infect systems and networks: all such threats spiked. The digital environment should also be your priority in addition to physical safety.
If the situation intensifies in your neighborhood
Law enforcement officers deployed in a riot zone won’t be able to protect you from all violent protestors or arsonists, so you’ve to stay alert when protestors hit the road. Violent mobs don’t spare anyone, even if you’re a handicap or have kids at home, so be prepared for all possibilities.
As long as you’re inside your house, you’re relatively safer than those caught in the epicenter of it all. However, that doesn’t imply you’re safe because you never know when violence spills out from the streets into smaller lanes. Lock all the gates inside your premises and ensure that the CCTV cameras are working properly. You must ensure that the viewing screens, as well as the storage computers, are functioning properly. You need to be extremely vigilant of all the activities in your neighborhood, and the cameras placed outside your house will help you in keeping an eye on your neighborhood.
Some residents choose video doorbells to keep track of the people who get close to their houses. Furthermore, in this modern age, you can even consider adding smart locks that will allow you to enter your home by using an app. Among other products, you can always find the one that suits your security needs. However, having a lot of internet-connected devices means that you need to take extra care of your internet connection. You can split networks by assigning a special one to all home security gadgets. Even a better idea is to install a VPN for home security and safeguard all your web traffic. No hackers will be able to intercept your connections, steal passwords, or unlock doors via your app. So, your home security gadgets also need protection from an external source.
Protecting your assets during an unrest
When you’re away from your home, it’s a little more challenging to protect your assets. Thus, you must reach home as soon as possible. However, you should evaluate the security situation and try to use less crowded lanes and short routes to reach home. Try to remain calm and avoid disputing with people on the streets.
If there’s unrest in your neighborhood while you’re at home, you should move your children, elderly, and even your pets to your house’s safest room. It’s always better to switch off electrical devices because fires from short circuits are common when people try to damage properties. The key is staying calm and logical through times like these: be prepared, do not panic, and prioritize your security above all.
