Burglary is a common crime. In fact, it’s so common that one burglary occurs around every 15 seconds in the United States. The more you understand about home burglaries, the easier it is for you to effectively guard against them.
It Doesn’t Take Very Long
As somebody who would never dream of breaking into a home it’s hard to imagine how long it would take for somebody to get in and be gone with valuables. Fortunately for you, we know the answer: In most cases, burglars are in and out of a home in under 10 minutes.
The longer a burglar stays in your home the more likely they are to get caught. For that reason, most try to target areas that commonly house easy-to-pocket valuables—think the bedroom for jewelry and the living room or office for electronics like cell phones, laptops, game consoles or home assistants.
Most Burglars Live in the Neighborhood
It is fair to assume that robbing a home would mean going outside of your neighborhood. You’d likely look for a place where people didn’t know you, right? Actually, most burglaries are perpetrated by people who live in the same neighborhood.
While a burglar may not live next door or even on your block, they may live just a few minutes away by car or foot. The reason burglars tend to rob their neighbors? They’re comfortable with the streets, neighborhood layout and police patrol patterns because they spend a great deal of time there.
Unlocked Door and Windows are Common Entry Points
Leaving your doors and windows unlocked is a bad plan, but believe it or not, it does happen. In fact, unlocked windows and doors account for about 30% of burglars’ points of entry. So what can you do?
Make sure you lock your doors and windows even if you’re only going to the grocery store! You can also update old windows and doors to make sure they lock securely, or use smart home technology with geofencing capabilities to automatically lock your doors and windows for you.
They’re Notoriously Hard to Solve
Without proper monitoring, a home burglary might easily go unsolved. Data from the FBI shows that only 13.6% of burglaries result in arrest. Besides, even if the burglar is found, you still may not be able to recover your lost property.
Installing the most up-to-date security system helps catch burglars on video, which dramatically increases the likelihood that they will be caught. Many of the most recent security systems have live video feeds, so the authorities can be contacted as soon as a crime occurs or even while it’s in progress. The faster the crime is reported, the faster the burglars can be caught and the more likely it is that you will be reunited with your belongings.
Security Systems are a Real Deterrent
You’ve seen those home security signs in front of other people’s homes, right? Maybe you even have one of your own sticking up through the plants or flowers that line your walkway. Those signs actually do a lot of good when it comes to keeping burglars away from your home.
For most burglars, it’s all about the path of least resistance. If a house looks like it may have a security system, it’s usually in their best interest to move on to a home that looks like an easier target.
Getting robbed is a seriously unpleasant experience. Safeguard yourself by getting a state-of-the-art home security system from SafeTouch Security.