You know, it can be hard enough to get inside the minds of our nearest and dearest … I don’t know how often I shake my head in amazement at the way my family or kids are acting! So obviously it is even more difficult to get inside the mind of a criminal. However, doing just that can greatly add to your home security, going above and beyond even alarm monitoring services to help you make security part of your everyday thinking. Today we get inside the brain of a burglar!
Who is likely to be a burglar?
Burglars actually come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Young people, older people, males and females are all equally likely to be caught by an alarm monitoring service trying to break into a house. Alarm monitoring service intelligence tells us that burglars:
• Often break into houses in familiar territory. These areas might be the routes to work, school or a friend’s place.
• However, they don’t tend to burgle too close to their own houses, because of the risk of being recognised by somebody they know.
• Burglars will often look a little lost in a neighbourhood, or appear out of place. They spend time looking around at their surroundings, or they cruise around slowly by car checking out the area before they strike. However, alarm monitoring services cannot respond to simple ‘suspicious activity’, unfortunately. Even police are fairly powerless to do anything except question, and take names and addresses.
What time of day is best for burglars?
Intelligence from alarm monitoring services firmly dispels the myth that you are more likely to be burgled at a particular time of day. Some burglars prefer to work in the daytime because of the cover of ambient noise, and the likelihood that people are at work rather than at home. Some prefer to work at night time because it is easier whether the house is empty, and because they have the cover of darkness.
How do burglars work?
In the experience of alarm monitoring services that have spent a long time responding to these sorts of crimes, burglary operations usually have the following characteristics:
• People will sometimes knock on a door in advance to see if people are home, and make up an excuse if so.
• Sometimes property will be hidden nearby, and retrieved later. Keep your eye on the street for a while, for this reason; this is where Digital Video Recorders are an excellent addition to alarm monitoring services.
• Stealing to order is a common characteristic. The burglar may already have a buyer for a TV, but not be able to get rid of a stereo – hence the seemingly random nature of items that alarm monitoring services see being stolen.
• Cash is king for the burglar. No issues with serial numbers or getting rid of property. If you must keep cash at home, make sure it is in a safe … thieves have an uncanny knack for discovering hiding places.
What all burglars hate:
Both alarm monitoring services and the police see a lot of failed burglaries where any of the following are present:
• Alarms – especially one that indicate with signage that alarm monitoring services respond to activations!
• Dogs, and signs indicating guard dogs
• Quality locks. Burglars would prefer not to break glass, because of the noise.
• Indications that people are home, such as stereos and lights being on, or having a car in the driveway.
You don’t want to think too much like a burglar … but it is critical to setting up your home security procedures, and will definitely convince you of the value of alarm monitoring services!