Houston Home Security Environment

Houston had been equally affected by the bleak economic conditions that had been sweeping the United States. Everyone knows the various bailout programs launched by the Federal government, including banking, auto, and insurance sector bailouts. In spite of bold statements and handouts by the government, job cuts are rising without respite. Foreclosures of default home loans are continuing. Naturally, crime rates have also been increasing.

Data show that crime rates, in particular property crime rates, had climbed in every recession recorded from the 1900s. Houston home security environment had been subject to higher threats during all past recessions and the crime rate in Houston is expected to rise in the present gloomy economic scenario also. Here are a few grim statistics about risks to property in the US.

Burglaries in the US

According to an FBI report in 2001 on “Crime in the US”, every 14 seconds, a burglar had entered a house in the country. Nearly 60% of such burglaries had been committed when the home was occupied. About 38% of such robberies had been accompanied by firearm threats. Other data reveal that more than 80% of house break-ins occur by forcing open the doors or windows. More than half the robberies are done during daytime.

Fire Threat in the US

A report published by the National Fire Protection Association in 2000 showed that a fire occurred in US homes every 86 seconds, with 85% of deaths due to fire occurred in homes. Home fires had resulted in about nine deaths every 24 hours. Every 31 minutes, fire injuries had been occurring in US homes.

Houston Crime Rates

A report by the FBI in 2003 showed that there were 120,005 property crimes in the city of Houston and robbery was nearly 2.46 times more than the national average. Property crimes were about 1.33 times more than the national average and burglaries were around 1.52 times the national average. However, it had to be noted and appreciated that Houston crime rates had been much lesser than several other cities in the US in the recent few years.

Even though Houston is the fourth largest city in the country, the crime rate had dipped to below the national average. Houston does not find a place in the list of the 25 most dangerous US cities, which includes cities like Dallas, Memphis, Tampa, Orlando, New Orleans, Miami, and Detroit. On the other hand, a list of cities that are rates as the best in terms of personal safety includes Houston, along with San Francisco, Winston-Salem, and Honolulu. However, this should not lead to complacency that Houston home security measures could be completely ignored.

It could never be denied that homes as well as commercial establishments definitely require security systems installations to provide protection against burglaries and fire hazards. Security experts say that homes provided with alarm monitoring are at least ten times less likely to be vandalized. Insurance companies also offer discounts on home insurance schemes for homes protected by security monitoring. Hence, it is imperative that Houston home security is given top priority by all homeowners in Houston.