Three Surprising Facts About Burglaries

In this day and age, we’re all relatively educated when it comes to home safety.  We pretty much know we can’t leave our doors unlocked anymore and not to say we’re out of town on our answering machine.  What may surprise you, though, are the lesser-known facts about home burglaries and thefts.

Daytime vs. Nighttime

When most of us imagine a break-in, we think of the man in the ski mask at night sneaking around in the dark.  We are mistaken, however, if we believe this is how most burglaries occur.  The fact is that most home thefts happen between 9:00am and 3:00pm daily.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  During a typical day, most people are away from their homes at work, school, or running errands.  Daytime is the prime time for homes to be left empty, whereas, most people are at home during the evenings and at night.  No burglar wants to get caught, so the best time is when nobody’s around!

Trimming Matters

We all know that HOAs and OCD neighbors like us to keep a well-trimmed and maintained yard.  For more than just avoiding being Public Enemy No. 1 at the neighborhood barbecue, it is of utmost importance to keep a tidy yard for the purpose of preventing burglaries.  Thieves look for untrimmed bushes and hedges to hide in.  The more overgrown the foliage, the better.  Especially in acreage near your house, if you have any dark or hidden areas due to plants, trees, or any other kind of clutter, you will be a prime target for a break-in.

Front and Center

We’ve seen in the movies where the burglar is sneaking in the tiny bathroom window, maybe getting stuck or tripping over the toilet.  While it may seem more logical to maneuver a sneak attack through a difficult entry, the fact is that most burglars enter through the front or back door.  Even more surprising, almost half of those are not even forced!  This tells us that obvious points of entry are the easiest for a thief, most likely because the lock is inadequate or they are never even secured to start with.

Especially in this day and age, never make assumptions about or take for granted the safety of your home from theft.  If you place the security of your family and valuables at a high priority, you should know that homes without alarm systems are three times more likely to be broken into than those homes protected with electronic security systems.  If you would like more information on how Watch Guard can defend your home from often unpredictable intruders, please contact us today!