Did you hear? Bill and Judy across the street had their home ransacked the other night. Also, a couple of months ago, Ryan and Anastasia had their home robbed, too. Are you next? It is possible. Even with all the bells and whistles and tactics that you might believe are common sense, you could be the target of a burglary.
This is what you should be on the lookout for:
- A stranger in the neighbourhood walking around suspiciously and looking at houses.
- Someone snapping a picture with his or her phone and leaving.
- Strange markings around the property, which is common in the United Kingdom.
- People coming to your door and making requests (telephone, bathroom, lost dogs, etc.).
- New cars are parked on the street.
Indeed, nine times out of ten, these are benign events. That said, your little man may tell you differently. It would be wise to contact the local authorities and report suspicious activity.
So, are you unsure what to do? Well, the first thing to do is to listen to the experts. Here are six ways on how burglars pick a house to rob:
1. Are the Lights on at 3 a.m.?
If the potential burglar is staking out a house in a middle-class neighbourhood in the middle of the night and he or she notices that the lights are at 1 a.m. or 3 a.m., then chances are the occupants are not home.
It might seem like a deterrent to the homeowner, but it is a great signal for the criminal because most likely the occupants are not up at 2 a.m. cooking a meal or having a conversation about Medieval poetry. They are on vacation, leaving the house vulnerable to a break and enter.
While leaving the lights on at all hours of the day will not work most of the time, the sound of voices will. Therefore, it would be smart to leave the television or radio on during the day because any noise will scare off the burglars.
2. Strong Security System
Every household has a state-of-the-art security system nowadays. These door alarms are effective, affordable, and smart, so why not own one? Plus, it reduces monthly insurance premiums.
This is what seasoned criminals look out for, not the big dog on the premise. Indeed, if crooks notice strong security systems, then one of two things will happen:
- They will learn how to fiddle with it and avoid detection.
- Avoid the house and move onto the next one that doesn’t have such a great security apparatus.
Moral of the story? If you don’t have one already, get the door alarms installed on your property!
3. Casing Social Media
Unfortunately, people share too much personal information on social media. In real-time, too! You may have heard about how criminals are monitoring celebrities’ Facebook or Twitter, which reveals if they are out of town shooting a picture or performing at a concert. If no one is home, then these culprits have the opportunity to break in and steal valuable items. Ditto for average folk.
Someone can easily find out your information by checking your mail and then searching your name on Facebook. After that is done, they will keep tabs on you and write a schedule. After a while, they will know your daily routines and patterns, especially when you are not home.
In the end, this should serve as a cautionary tale of not putting your life on a social network.
4. Window and Door Security
Do you know what the most effective deterrent is? It isn’t a Rottweiler, a smart home system, or baseball bats. It is bars on the windows.
That’s right. According to various media reports involving inmates, most burglars stay away from properties that have bars on the windows. It makes sense. These are difficult to circumvent because even if you try to break through these bars it will make a lot of noise and cause attention, something you don’t want as a burglar. So, if you don’t have bars because it’s ugly, be prepared!
The only way burglars can get into your home is through the door or a window. It is your job as a homeowner to reinforce all possible entrances, whether it is the back sliding door or the upstairs window. By ensuring these are all secure, you will prevent a crime from taking place.
5. Flyers in the Door
A neat trick that criminals use is leaving flyers in the door. Why is this an effective tactic? Well, it indicates if somebody is home or not, and this is one of the simple ways on how burglars pick a house to rob. If the flyer is still there after a few days, then chances are the homeowners are gone somewhere.
If you do plan to be away for a couple of weeks, you would be wise to either hire a housesitter or get a friend or family member to pick up the mail every day.
6. A Glance in the Front Window
Let’s face it: Most homeowners think they will never be the target of a burglary. They underestimate valuables in their homes, making the joke, “Who the heck would want to rob us? We don’t have much.” Except they do: expensive television sets, computer equipment, jewelry, a piggy bank with an emergency fund, and anything else that yield a buck.
The individual can get a glance in the front window in the middle of the day or in the evening when lights make everything clearer and the curtains or blinds are open. Remember, if the criminal is a drug addict, then he or she will do anything for a dollar.
One of the worst things to happen to any homeowner is being the victim of a robbery. It isn’t just the fact that your valuable possessions have been stolen, it is the unsettling feeling that you had been cased, a stranger broke into our home, and nobody witnessed anything. That is a frightening feeling.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to home security, but employing the simple things can do a lot to stop a burglar in his or her tracks, whether it is bars on the windows or security cameras everywhere.
