Chances are that your house or the home of someone you know will be broken into this year. What do you think is going through a criminals mind before breaking into your home.
Here are a few facts for you to consider.
Around 60 percent of burglars used forcible entry to gain access to a home. A surprising 30 percent entered home through an unlocked door, window or other opening without resorting to force.
A study by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology found that most burglars try to determine if a house has an alarm system before attempting a home invasion. Other research substantiates these findings. In fact, an overwhelming majority of convicted burglars say that they intentionally avoided homes with security systems. If an alarm sounded, they admitted to fleeing the home immediately.
About 33 percent of intruders enter a home through the front door. Hollow doors are exceptionally easy to kick in. If your home is outfitted with an old wood door or one that’s hollow, replace it with a new solid wood or metal clad door. Then every time you enter or exit your home, arm your home security system. It isn’t a bad idea to fortify your home’s entrances with security cameras and motion lighting.
You may want to explore the benefits of a wireless home security system. That’s because roughly 25 percent of burglars reported cutting telephone or alarm wires before they broke into the home. A wireless home security system is less vulnerable because there are no wires to be cut. Wireless technology is offered by a number of companies and it’s more affordable than you might think.
According to the FBI, the average dollar loss per burglary in the U.S. is $2,185. That amount far exceeds the cost of a basic home security system, and doesn’t include the emotional damage a break-in inflicts on your family. Plus, many insurance companies offer discounts on your homeowner’s policy when you have a home security system installed. When you couple the victim’s losses with criminal justice expenditures, a typical home invasion is estimated to cost nearly $20,000.
Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report states that a household member was home in approximately 28 percent of burglaries. Alarmingly, a household member suffered some form of violence in seven percent of burglaries.
Unfortunately, burglaries are infamously hard to solve. On average, only about 13 percent of burglaries are cleared by police, and recovering victim’s property is even less likely to happen.
To keep unwanted intruders out of your home, you don't have to turn your property into a suburban Fort Knox. There are many solutions that require no money at all -- just a little common sense. Read on to learn about 10 things you can do that take little time or resources to make your home a safer haven.
Leaving certain things lying around your yard or in plain sight from the road can unwittingly lure thieves onto your property like frantic bargain hunters to a flea market. First, if you have a bicycle or scooter that someone could easy to walk away with, roll it inside or into your garage. Also, after purchasing a new plasma screen television or other pricey electronics or appliance, don't leave the box out beside the trash can or recycling bin [source: Kraeutler]. That tells people you have something brand spanking new that could fetch decent dollars on the street. It may also leave them wondering what other goodies are inside your home.You may also be showing off too much to people walking by your house as well. Open up your curtains, blinds or shades and stroll around the house and see what's visible. If you have a number of expensive items within plain sight or near windows, think about doing a minor redesign to move them out of view.
If burglars can tell that someone is home, there's a greater chance that they won't attempt to break in. Remember, more break-ins occur during the day when many people are at work. For that reason, when you leave the house, create an illusion that someone's still there. You can leave a light on, along with music or your television for good measure. Of course, if you're going to be burning up that electricity by not turning off lights when you leave, make sure you've installed compact fluorescent bulbs that last longer and are better for the environment.You can also mentally fake them out by putting a home security system sign in your yard. This won't guarantee they won't test out whether it's valid, but it could deter them. According to the Office of Community Oriented Police Service, most residential thieves stay away from houses with such signs [source: Sampso
You can easily break into some older sliding doors by simply popping them off of their frame, even when locked. It's harder to do that with newer ones, but you should still take extra precaution to secure them since they can be an inviting entry for burglars. Simply take a strong dowel, steel bar or two-by-four and slide it into the back groove. That way, even if people can pick the lock, the rod stops the door from sliding back and opening.Although you should always lock your windows before leaving the house, you can install a simple pin or nail into to the frame to stop it from raising more than a few inches. This will add an additional layer of security in case someone pops off the screen and you have left the window unlocked. If you have a wooden window frame, you can drill a hole at your desired height above the sash, where the top and bottom window meet. Then, insert a thick metal pin or a sturdy nail into the hole. You can remove the stopper if you want to open the window completely and put it back in for security.
Also remember to check window air conditioning units. If you can jimmy the window up from the outside, add a stopper to that frame.
It may seem like a good idea to leave a spare key hidden under a flower pot or doormat in case you get locked out of your house. But that's an open invitation for a burglar to walk inside without any difficulty. Someone could also see you retrieve the key at some point, giving away your hiding place.Instead, give a spare to a neighbor you know well or friend who lives nearby for safekeeping. Since most people now own cell phones, if you lock yourself out you can call for help or walk over to the person's house. You could also put the spare into a combination lockbox and hide that somewhere outside.
Remember to never put any identifying information on your house keys. If you lose them, and someone else finds them, it would be fairly easy to trace them back to your home and break in.
Tall shrubs and overgrown trees are welcome hiding places for criminals to wait until the coast is clear to get into your house. That doesn't mean you need to cut down every plant in your yard. Just keep things manicured.Low shrubs in front of windows remove additional covering for thieves if they attempt to break in through one. Cut away any tall tree branches that reach upper story windows and protect against attacks from above. Regularly trimming larger bushes and tree branches also eliminates dark shadows that help hide intruders.
This type of security measure is referred to as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTD strategies aim to prevent crime by creating an outdoor environment that makes it difficult to pull off. Its four tenets are:
Natural surveillance -- keep entryways to your home visible to prevent people from being able to sneak up.
Territorial reinforcement -- using landscaping and design to define your territorial space.
Natural Access Control -- adding hindrances to easily access your property. For instance, holly bushes or other thorny shrubs around your house.
Target Hardening -- structural security, such as deadbolts and double-paned windows.
[source: CPTED Security]
You can implement these techniques in various combinations, depending on your property. It can also spruce up the appearance of your yard as an added bonus.
Residential crime spikes during July and August as people set off on summer vacations [source: OIsen]. As mentioned earlier, if you are going out of town for an extended period of time, call your local police and let them know. Also, alert neighbors you trust about your trip and ask that they keep an eye on your property during that time.More importantly, when you leave town, don't leave signs of an empty house. That will only make your house look like a giant bulls-eye to a thief. First, if you have a home phone, don't change your message to alert callers that you have left town.
Have a friend house sit or at least pick up your mail and newspapers. Ask them to move your car periodically to make it look like you're still around. During the winter if you live in a cold weather climate, consider having someone shovel snow from your driveway. In the summers, arrange for someone to cut your lawn.
If you rent a house or apartment, you have more incentive to get to know your community because renters are 85 percent more likely to experience a break-in [source: National Crime Prevention Council]. This may be because renters aren't as likely to watch out for one another or have any sort of community watch program.
Although it's nice to know you have people watching out for you in your neighborhood, you also need to watch out for yourself. If you aren't paying attention to what you're doing, you could unknowingly be rolling out a red carpet for a burglar to waltz through your front door.While it may seem like a symptom of paranoia, keep your identity and any travel plans on the down low. For instance, only put your street address on your mailbox. Give away your last name, and someone could find your phone number, work place and a host of other stats with a few mouse clicks [source:Discovery Channel]. Before you jet off to Bermuda, don't talk about it openly in public because a sinister stranger could be taking note always keep a
