| A lot of people out there think a burglary would not happen to them, we sometimes have a false sense of safety in our communities. We have heard people say things like, I live in a safe neighborhood or a gated community, a few other popular sayings are - my next door neighbor is a police officer, I’m a gun owner or I have a guard dog. |  |
| All these things are good but the truth is over seven thousand homes are broken into daily. It should also be noted that home burglars are the most successful thieves, less than 2 out of 10 ever get caught. So how do they break in? | |
1. They case your neighborhood, to understand your schedule and your neighbors schedule. Burglars typically drive around the neighborhood a few times, even at different times of the day. They want to get an idea of when there is no one home, or get an understanding of your neighbors hours too. A neighborhood watch is always great, always be on the lookout for unfamiliar faces and cars in your neighborhood. Make a mental note of parked cars, people hanging around for extended amounts of time loitering. Get your neighbors involved, This could be the best defense against burglars, good old fashioned vigilance.
2. The more disturbing part is a lot of burglaries are performed by friends or people you know. Don’t rule out people you know or friends of friends, a good amount of burglaries are committed by people who have knowledge of your schedule, what you have in your home, who your family members are. Sometimes police don’t have to look too far to find the culprit. Be careful who you let into your home. Needless to say on this one, keep the number of people coming into your home low. Have social events with associates in pubs or other public places. Get as much information on people that come into your home, a good time to ask questions is when they are in your home. Try to get to know who they are, what they do, where they leave etc…
3. They are opportunistic and careful about which house they pick. Turns out the corner house gets broken into more than say the middle home, If you live at the end of a cul-de-sac you could be a target also. People that live in these homes may also have woods in their back yard or may back into a major street or road. Mow your lawn, keep your bushes trimmed and well kept. An overgrown lawn, uncontrolled shrubs and bushes could tell a burglar no one is home or a sloppy exterior could indicate the property is vacant.
4. Burglars typically don’t want a confrontation: The main reason burglars case the neighborhood is to ensure there is no one home to confront them. Vacant homes could indicate easy pickings, burglars also consider the punishment, if someone is in the house during a break-in the crime becomes a home invasion, people could get hurt or assaulted, home invasions are a bigger crime, and they get more time. Most of these criminals are opportunists as stated earlier, they want to break in and grab what they can and be on their way. Get timed light controls for interior and exterior lights, some security systems also come with wireless light switches for lamps. Have someone you trust check on your property walk your pets to show increased activity at the property.
5. Burglars may avoid homes with deterrents: If you are the only one in your neighborhood without a home alarm system, you may stand out like a sore thumb to burglars. They could decide to break in to your home by process of elimination, skipping homes with home security systems in them and going for the seemingly more vulnerable homes. Get a home security alarm system, a yard sign and window stickers to show you have a home security system in place.
