If I think I hear an intruder in my home, should I investigate?

If I think I hear an intruder in my home, should I investigate?

Chris McGoey (President, McGoey Security Consulting) gives expert video advice on: Should I let the intruder know that I am aware of his presence? and more...

You ever watch those horror movies? Like Scream, and Scream 2 and all those types of movies. What does a victim do? They always investigate. The people in the audience are yelling at them screaming "No, No don't go in there, don't go in there!" because the bad man will be in there. No, I don't think you should investigate. I think you need to find yourself a safe location. If that's your bedroom stay there. Close the door, barricade it; secure it in some manner so you have that barrier between you and the noise. Then you can do a number of things. You can start calling out. You can yell to the person, "I'm calling the police. I have a gun." Whatever you feel is appropriate; whatever you plan for; whatever you're capable of doing. Most burglars will hit the road. Most burglars don't want you there if they truly come just to burglarise your residence. Once they know you're there and you've surprised them, they're going to want to get out of there. If they're home invader robbers who want you there, they're going to try to get to you. However, they can't get to you, because you're behind this solid barrier, and they know that you're on the telephone calling the police because they can hear you through the door and you're talking at a loud volume; that's going to tell them that their time is out. They'll take off.