Every 15 seconds in the US, a home burglary
takes place, but there are so many things I can do to dramatically reduce the
chances of us falling victim of this devastation.
Based on personal research and conversations
that I have had with professional burglars, I will provide you with the best
tips to prevent a home burglary. It’s a
sobering thought that in the time it takes you to read this article - say 10
minutes or so - 40 burglary’s will be committed in the US. That is one burglary
just about every 15 seconds.
Some of those home burglaries will be by fraud
artists who previously checked the homes out by posing as legitimate visitors,
talking their way in and maybe even opening a window in a bathroom for easy
access when they return.
Watch out for these doorstep frauds artist tricks
Some will be opportunists, who just happen to
spot an easy target in a neighborhood - like an open door or window. Yet others
will be experienced crooks (I refuse to use the word professional) who know how
to case a joint without being noticed, and know all the tricks of the trade for
breaking and entering.
Whichever category they fit, I know that the
average time it takes for a burglar to break into a home is less than a minute,
and the amount of time they spend inside is little more than 5 to 8 minutes - but,
when posing as contractors or furniture removers, they’ve been known to take
much longer and completely empty a home.
The reality of home burglaries hit home recently
for the friend of mine and prompted me to focus this Article on what you can do
to prevent home burglary.
In this recent case, the friend - was keeping an
eye on his neighbor’s house while the owner was away.
What to Do When Your Disturb a Home Burglar
John, (I will not use any other identification
for him) was making his rounds to check the place and apparently surprised a
burglar who had escaped out the back. John had gone into the home, and when he noticed
a light on, and made a hasty retreat to his car, where he phoned the sheriff.
He did the right thing. As it was explained
later: “Burglaries rarely involve assault of any kind, but, when they do, it is
almost always because the thief is cornered. It is also quite common for injuries to occur because
homeowners assume the burglary is over, and walk in to assess the situation,
unwittingly trapping the thief. The moment you figure out something is amiss,
leave. Get to a safe place and call the cops. It’s not worth getting hurt.”
This is sound advice. Now I will take this opportunity
to pass on to other friends and the readers my own thoughts on the key things I
can all do to discourage my home from being victimized by a burglary.
Sixteen home burglary tips:
1.
People are your best defense — be a visibly nosy
neighbor. Let anyone walking the neighborhood or sitting in a parked car see
you watching them. Make a note of car license plates and if anyone behaves
suspiciously or stays in their car for a lengthy period of time, call the
police.
2.
Tell close neighbors you trust if you plan to be
away or expect any deliveries. If they are aware, they are more likely to
notice something you did not mention and spot unexpected callers at your home
(burglars often call at the front door of a house to check if anyone is there).
3.
In addition, if you are going away, use timers
to switch lights on and off at random, cancel newspapers and put a hold on your
mail deliveries, or, to guard your schedule, arrange for the trusted neighbor
to collect them.
4.
Having a dog is a huge deterrent. Ironically,
burglars are far more likely to avoid a house with a small dog than a big one —
small dogs tend to be nervous and less easy to trick into calming down. They
are less trustful and bark louder and longer.
5.
Take a walk around your home, inside and out, to
figure where the weakest link in your security might be - like leaving a window
open in a secluded spot. High-risk places include the door from your garage
into the house, back doors, side breezeways where a burglar would not be seen,
and large shrubs close to the residence where thieves could hide.
6.
Take action to increase protection in these
vulnerable places - like installing keyed window locks and deadbolts on doors
and using toughened glass in windows and doors. Remove those shrubs. If you
leave windows open on the second floor, make sure your extension ladder is
locked away.
7.
Be wary about who you allow into your home and
how much information you give about your belongings and schedule. This applies
even with neighbors you do not know or fully trust (‘inside’ jobs are not
uncommon). Moreover, do not leave valuables in view, inside or from outside the
house.
8.
If you are able, vary the times you leave and
return home. If your household has several cars, vary who drives them, making
it more difficult for an observer to know who is home and when.
9.
Make it tough for home burglary prowlers to know
whether they are under surveillance. Fake cameras can be good - but only if
they could be taken for the real thing, not cheap plastic devices with flashing
lights, which home burglars easily identify.
10. Fake
security stickers or signs do not work either, but, if you have an alarm, real
stickers and signs work.
11. Control
access to and around your property. Consider motion-activated lights, even on
the street outside your home. Neighborhood Watch, Video Surveillance, No Parking,
and No Outlet signs can be effective against home burglary too. This way,
would-be thieves know you mean business.
12. Motion-activated
cameras are another powerful weapon - both as a burglary deterrent and, linked
to a computer (and, better yet, to a home network), to record images of your
unwelcome visitors. These days, these devices are inexpensive. Network-linked
cameras costing around $85.00 can even email images so you have an off-site
backup (some will send images automatically to a separate email account, so
even if the camera is disabled, you will still have the pictures online).
13. An
alarm system, preferably with a visible box outside the house, will not only
deter crooks but sound an immediate alert of a home burglary. You might
seriously consider a system that has monitored 24/7 by a security company who
will quickly notify law enforcement of any incident.
14. Gates,
both to your property and in gated communities, can also be a home burglary
deterrent, (even if there is another way out). If you have a guarded, gated
community, use ‘Resident’ stickers. Renters could have a temporary sticker they
must surrender at the end of their lease, while visitors collect a pass that
they must return on leaving.
15. Avoid
creating temptation. Do not leave things like lawn mowers and bikes unattended
outside; lock them up. Inside, burglars are more likely to go for “middle of
the road” valuables than expensive jewelry and appliances - because they are
easier to redeem for cash.
16. Do
not hide a key. Home burglary crooks know all those “secret” places. I spoke
with one burglar who said he hit the same house every few years for more than 35
years, while the homeowners were never the wiser, and never changed their locks
or their hiding places...
Here are some more burglary dangers:
There are two other important home burglary
facts you should know.
First, if you have previously been burglarized, you
are statistically more likely -six times more, to be targeted again, so you
will need to take extra precautions.
Second, home burglaries can involve much more
than the theft of your valuables.
If the crooks steal personal and confidential
information, you could become a victim of another major scam –identity theft. By
following these tips, you can substantially cut the risk of becoming a home
burglary victim. Stay safe.
–Bird.
