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Residential Burglaries
Burglary and theft from residential premises impose
a significant cost upon the community. Most burglaries
occur during daylight hours, when homes are often
vacant. However, burglars can also strike at any
time of the day, with some burglars even risking
the possibility of confrontation when they commit
the crime while residents are asleep. Therefore, it is essential to ensure
that your home is secure at all times.
Burglary can be Prevented
Research suggests many burglaries can be prevented,
but crime prevention is the responsibility of the whole
community not just the police. Many burglaries appear
to occur when an offender discovers an open window
or unlocked door, and takes the opportunity to enter
a home and steal cash or other items of value. Making
sure that your home and other buildings (e.g. garage/garden
shed) are always secure is an effective way to reduce
the likelihood that opportunistic burglars will see
your home as an easy target.
It is not always necessary to spend a lot of money
on home security. A number of strategies such as those
that follow can be an effective deterrent to would-be
burglars:
- When you go out, always lock the door and close the windows - even if
you are just going out for a short time.
- Window locks, especially on older windows, will help stop people getting
in (and remember a burglar is less likely to break in if they have to smash
a window).
- If you have deadlocks, use them. They make it harder for a thief to get
out again. But don't leave the key near the door, or in an obvious place.
- Don't leave spare keys outside, or in a garage or shed, and put car keys
or garage keys out of sight in the house.
- Use timers for lights and radios if you need to be away from home overnight.
They will create the impression that someone is in.
- Consider motion-activated flood lights.
- Visible burglar alarms, good lighting, and carefully directed and limited
security lighting can act as deterrents. But make sure that lights don't
disturb your neighbors, and that alarms have an auto turn off mechanism.
- Fences at the back of the house may make this area more secure, but walls
and solid fencing may let a thief break in without being seen. A good compromise
is chain-link fencing, or trellises with prickly shrubs.
- Fitting a 'spy hole' allows you to see who is at the door. Having a door
chain means you can open the door a little way to talk to them.
- Photograph and record serial numbers of all valuable property and retain
in a safe place.
- Ask your neighbors to keep an eye on your home particularly if you are
going on a vacation.
- Don’ let mail or newspapers
pile up in visible areas if you are gone for a
few days. Stop the mail and paper or have a neighbor
pick them up and hold them until you return.
Other considerations
If you come home and find a broken window or tampered
entrance, there may be a burglar inside. It is most
likely best not to go into the house. Instead, go to
a neighbor’s house and call the police, or use
your cell phone to call for help if you have it available.
Many people believe that once their homes have been burglarized they are
unlikely to be burglarized again. Mostly likely this is the case. However,
sometimes offenders may return and attempt to burgle the home again based
on the following reasons:
- The burglars know there are additional items of value in a home and view
it as an easy target because they cannot see any obvious improvements
in the security of the home.
- The burglars may try and burgle a home again in 4-6 weeks because they
think the goods previously stolen will have been replaced through insurance.
- The burglars may return because they now have a buyer for some particular
item they saw on the first occasion.
For those reasons
outlined above, it is strongly recommended that you
address any security shortfalls that may leave your
home vulnerable to break-ins.
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