Hedges, trees, fences, and other objects that hide major points of entry are promising features for burglars, as it makes them harder to be seen while they are checking the house or breaking in. Doors with windows in them provide a way to look into the home to check for people or valuables before breaking in.
Front door: 34% of burglars twist the doorknob and walk right in. First-floor windows: 23% use a first-floor open window to break into your home. Back door: 22% come in through the back door. Garage doors: 9% gain entrance through the garage.
Are cameras a good crime deterrent? Cameras are a good crime deterrent, as 60 percent of most burglars will choose another target if they find alarms or cameras, according to a study from the University of North Carolina's Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology.
The four main ways a burglar will choose their job include the following: Look for vulnerable folks (elderly, those living alone, easy targets, etc.) Opportunistic (very little forethought or planning) Desirability of property (smarter criminals)
Burglars said families should avoid hiding valuables in living room drawers and dressers, pots and pans and locked safes that are not secured to the floor or wall - as these are the places thieves search first.
Do security lights deter burglars? Yes, they can. Light makes it hard for them to conceal their identity, so they are more likely to find a darker home.
The most common times for break-ins occur between 10 am and 3 pm. Rather than being guarded by night, most burglars choose the daytime to attempt a break-in, targeting homes when they believe no one will be present.
Burglars will frequently walk up and knock on the front door to see if someone is home, giving an excuse – asking for directions, have you seen my dog?, oops wrong house – whenever someone answers it. Mild vandalism like a rock through a side window.
The average burglar takes less than a minute to break into your home and overall 8 to 12 minutes to get out again. In the first minute, the burglar lurks outside your property, looking for signs that there is no one there and assessing whether your house is a good target.
They often pick a house by surveilling the neighborhood and finding the one with the most predictable patterns of when people come and go. They also look for properties in more rural or isolated parts of the neighborhood, and houses that are well maintained or have fancy cars in the driveway.
When You Go to Bed. While you're home at night, it's a good idea to keep your lights on. However, as soon as you're ready to go to bed for the evening, you should be mindful and turn your lights off. You should treat your porch light the same as you would any other room in the house.
A Dog's Protection Only Goes So Far
The warning signs of a dog on the property may deter some intruders, but this doesn't work on all burglars. Savvy or brash criminals may not be fazed by the presence of a dog and might try to distract them.
Outdoor security lighting is effective if there are people — neighbors, pedestrians or police — to actually see suspicious activity. "If you're in a rural area, you're basically in a secluded area — you're better off turning off because the lights would help an intruder actually see," Felson says.
Not only is having a bunch of flyers or stickers stuck in your door a nuisance, it can also serve as a way for burglars to mark your home. Many burglars will stick flyers or stickers on homes that they think are unoccupied to serve as an indicator for their accomplices that the home is unguarded.
“The most popular items that burglars are looking to steal are typically cash, jewelry, and electronics.
As well as burglar chalk signs, burglars mark houses with almost anything they can; it may be a small blob of paint or a piece of string tied around a lamppost! "White and blue spray paint markings outside the house are the most common colours used by burglars.
“That's where you have your clothes, your jewelry, your extra cash, your weapons, your prescriptions—anything of value.” Hiding things under the mattress is one of the oldest tricks in the book, so a thief will likely check there for hidden treasures, he says. That might be why this is the first room burglars check.
Windows & Blinds
First of all, a burglar will usually only break into places that have sure treasures. So closing your blinds or curtains will prevent this exact information from being known, which cuts the chance of your place being burglarized in ha half.
Any house that's secluded may also be a target. Corner homes are iffy. They allow thieves to scope the area (including your habits) easily by simply driving by and naturally slowing or stopping for a turn. Depending on your neighborhood's layout, they may also be less visible to neighbors and police.
Fortunately, unlike movies, most burglars are looking to steal your belongings, not harm you. It's still pretty terrifying, though, to wake up in the middle of the night and realize someone else is in your house—and one can't exactly read a burglar's mind or know his or her intentions.
Burglars are most likely to be male and under 25 years old. 85% of break ins are by amateurs and done out of desperation, which some might suggest makes them more dangerous.