Never Fully Enter Your Home if Something Looks Wrong

Most home security advice focuses on preventing criminals from getting in. Fewer people consider what to do when they have already gotten in before you arrive. In June 2026, a 68-year-old woman returned to her Las Lomas home to find three intruders already inside. One pointed a firearm directly at her face the moment she entered. The intruders had accessed the property in her absence and were lying in wait, relying on the element of surprise to immediately control her. There was no warning sign she had an opportunity to act on — once inside, the encounter was entirely on their terms. The only window to interrupt a waiting intrusion is the moment before you cross the threshold: if anything appears out of place from the outside, treating that observation seriously could be the difference between walking into a controlled space and not entering it at all.

Steps to follow:

• Before entering your home, pause at the gate or approach and scan visually: an open or unlocked door you left closed, a broken lock, a window open or broken that was not, or unfamiliar footprints or disturbance near the entrance are all signals to stop.
• If anything appears inconsistent with how you left the property, do not enter — step back to the street or a neighbour’s property and call 999.
• Never assume a sign of potential entry is the result of a family member or household worker until you have confirmed it by phone before stepping inside.
• If you are with others, one person should remain outside with a phone while the other investigates — never allow everyone to commit to entry simultaneously.
• Establish a practice of always leaving your front door in a clearly identifiable state (locked deadbolt visible, chain on) so any deviation on return is immediately obvious.
• Strengthen your perimeter so that undetected access is less likely: good locks, motion-sensitive lighting, and CCTV at entry points create observable evidence of a breach before you commit to entry.