- If you live in England or Wales, your
risk of being a victim of burglary is one of
the highest in Europe, but the risk is
different in different areas.
- Households most at risk of burglary
included those that had poor security, low
occupancy levels, a lone parent and
children, or where the head of the household
was young. Those who lived in a detached
house or an inner city area also faced
increased risk.
- In most burglaries, force (for example,
breaking a window) was used to gain entry,
but in 22% the offender gained entry through
an unlocked door or window.
- In a quarter of burglaries, someone was
at home and was aware of what was happening.
- The victims in 87% of all burglaries
said they were emotionally affected in some
way by the experience.
In a nutshell there isn't a particular type
of premises that gets targeted by a burglar. It
can happen to absolutely anyone, and in every
neighbourhood. No one is immune.
Possibly nothing could be more frightening or
unnerving than arriving home to find that you
have been burgled (unless, of course, you are
home when it happens). No areas are immune from
criminal activity and every dwelling is a
potential target, but there are several things
that you can do to make your home a safer and
more secure place.
You may find it hard to believe but the main
threat to your home comes not from a
professional thief but from the opportunist,
this doesn't mean that the opportunist is an
amateur because they can be very experienced,
and very skilled at avoiding detection. But as
the name suggests they look for opportunities to
burgle, and are very easily put off. If they
cant see quick and easy pickings they will
usually move on to a less aware target.
Its a fact that most Home Burglaries occur
during the daytime, when the premises are less
likely to be occupied due to work, or even those
15 minutes your away while you take the children
to school, or just pop up the shops to get some
bread.
Having selected the target they will usually
knock at the front door - just to make sure no
one is home. If you answer, they can make up a
plausible reason for being there. Having had no
reply, the burglar will move around the outside
of the house, looking for signs of easy entrance
and window locks, burglar alarms and dogs. Once
confident that security is poor, and that no one
is likely to disturb him, he will find an
implement nearby and use it to force entry,
usually by a rear door, window or sliding patio
door. Once inside the burglar will be looking
for cash and jewellery, but he (or she) may also
steal smaller valuables, cameras, computers, CD
players, or your video recorder. The main
targeted area will probably be the master
bedroom. It will be subjected to an untidy
search of all the drawers, a quick rummage
through any jewellery boxes and the bottom of
the wardrobes.
Yes you are correct in thinking he's in a hurry.
Its not his intention to stay any longer than a
few minutes or so, its just a case of "get in,
grab what he can, and get out".
Lock all doors and windows, even if you are at
home. This may sound like common sense to some,
overkill to others, but it is perhaps the
simplest way to keep unwanted guests from
entering your home (including some relatives).
Be sure to use high quality deadbolts on
exterior doors and install pins in window frames
to prevent them from being opened from the
outside. Use a bar or similar device on sliding
patio doors. Many of the primary locks can be
easily defeated.
Install a wide-angle peephole in exterior doors.
This will allow you to safely identify visitors
BEFORE opening the door. If you cannot see who
is at the door, DO NOT open it.
Install security lights around the perimeter of
your house. These lights are relatively
inexpensive and are great deterrents, especially
if they are set with motion detectors. If you
have existing lights without these sensors,
there are even battery operated add-on motion
sensors on the market now that simply screw into
the existing light socket and mount near the
fixture.
Use timers on interior lights when you are going
to be away for an extended period of time. These
can be set to turn lights/radios/televisions on
and off intermittently to give the appearance
that someone is home and may cause thieves to
move on to the house with "no one home".
If you do not have a dog, consider getting one.
A barking dog can frighten off even the boldest
of burglars. Even if it is just a little
ankle-biter, a dog can make enough noise to make
the bad guy want to split the scene in a hurry.
Obviously the bigger and more aggressive the
dog, the more chance that the burglar may leave
some memento of his visit behind (and I do mean
"behind").
Install an electronic home security system. This
is one of the most popular methods of protecting
one's home and has resulted in one of the
fastest growing industries today. While these
systems do have their potential benefits, they
can also be very annoying. I can speak from
experience, the VAST majority of residential
entry alarms are false. Whether they are caused
by user error, weather conditions, or whatever,
they can be a definite pain and may even cost
more in response fees (some jurisdictions charge
for repeated responses) than they are worth.
Think hard on this one before you spend the
money for a system. You might even seek out
friends or neighbours with systems to get some
firsthand feedback.
Make sure that your premises is clearly visible
from the street during the day AND night. It is
very frustrating and often increases the danger
for all involved if emergency personnel cannot
see your street address numbers when responding
to help you. Well-lit house numbers and
reflective paint with numbers on the curb at
your driveway help a great deal.
Do not allow landscaping to create a
burglar-friendly environment. Keep bushes and
trees trimmed away from windows and entry points
to avoid creating hiding places for criminals to
lurk.
Engrave identification markings on your
valuables. Avoid using your social security
number. Instead, use your driver's license
number, date of birth, or some other unique
marking that would specifically show that the
item is yours. Many, many items are recovered by
the police and never returned to the rightful
owners because they have no way to link them to
the victim. Also record serial numbers when
applicable and give them to the police officer
taking the report for entry into the national
computer database in case they are recovered in
another jurisdiction.
Contact your local Police Force for a home
security evaluation. They will take a thorough,
objective look at your home and most are happy
to provide this service free of charge.
Be sure to report suspicious activity in your
neighbourhood to the police. Good burglars will
stake out an area before they strike and are
very commonly seen by residents in the area days
or weeks before the crimes occur. If you see
suspicious individuals or vehicles that "don't
belong", call them in WHEN YOU SEE THEM. Don't
wait until later that day or the next. If the
police can arrive and contact these people
during their "stakeout", they often spook them
out of your area before they can do their deed.
Even if a burglary does occur, the officer now
has a good lead to follow up on. No matter how
good your beat officer is, he/she does not know
as well as you do what is normal in your area
and what is not. Be their eyes and ears and work
with them to keep things under control.
Do not hesitate to contact your local police for
an "extra watch" on your home. Most departments
will pass on information to the appropriate beat
officers if you ask that they keep an extra eye
on your property. Whether it is time for
vacation or you have just seen some weird stuff
lately, a little extra visual deterrence never
hurts.
One of the most important weapons in your
arsenal is TIME!, If you buy yourself some time,
it will take the burglar longer to break in. The
longer it takes, the more chance there is that
he could get disturbed and give up.
There are several things you can do to slow him
down or at least hinder access:
- Check Surroundings: The view of your
house from both the road and your neighbours
is very important. Hell think twice about
breaking in if he could be seen, Cut down or
trim trees, shrubs and undergrowth to open
up the view. Avoid letting plants grow
taller that 4ft. This aim here is to deprive
the burglar of any cover.
- Fences and Gates: Repair holes in
fences. Try to Fix flimsy trellis to the
tops of the fence panels. They will break
away under pressure, causing noise and
inconvenience to the burglar.
- Weak Spots: Think about introducing
defensive planting, Protect weak spots in
your boundary with prickly plants, it is
very effective. Prickly plants are a natural
and very effective measure.
- 1st Floor Access: Think about ways to
hinder access to those first floor windows,
those adjacent to drainpipes or flat roofs
are especially vulnerable. Think about using
anti-climb paint on drainpipes, and perhaps
getting some trellis style light fencing
around the tops of any flat roofing.
But Proceed with caution.!!
Remember to comply with the Owners and Occupiers
Liabilities Act, it states that if you know of
something that could be a danger to other people
who are on your property (whether they are there
lawfully or not!) you must take steps to prevent
injury. In other words, put up a notice!.
- Secure your Outbuildings: Sheds and
garages usually contain tools that can
assist burglars to force an entry to your
home. Screwdrivers, hammers, chisels, forks
and spades are often used. They don't
usually come equipped to commit the crime.
Use good quality padlocks to secure shed
doors. The fittings should be bolted through
the wood into a 2mm steel plate.
Consider purchasing one of those new
generation shed alarms, there not exactly
brilliant but much better than nothing.
- Security Lighting: Light up your house,
I'm not suggesting Blackpool illuminations,
just some simple motion sensing 500W flood
lights front and back, and perhaps some Dusk
till Dawn lighting on the sides. They can be
fitted by any reasonably competent person.
Many can be run from a standard 13amp
socket. Be sure not to invade your
neighbours space when installing flood
lighting. Please consult a qualified
electrician if you have any doubts.
Note: Most of this information has
been taken from the website
www.thesecurityinstaller.co.uk run by Dave
Partridge who is a long term security
specialist. |
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