Everyone asks themselves this question at least once in their life: how to prevent a burglary at home? The fear of being robbed is perfectly normal. Everyone wants to protect themselves and live as well as possible. However, when it comes to security for yourself, your family or your home, it is normal to worry about it.
In the game and the mouse, between the owner (or tenant) and burglar, you can sometimes lose feathers. On one side as on the other, moreover. But to find out how to prevent a burglary at home, you might as well go to the source and ask the interested parties. In this article, therefore, we will see the usual behavior of burglars. These are behaviors that have been identified by the American legal services. But in France, the overall lineage is quite identical. So let's take a look at how burglars work before, during and after a burglary. From there, we will see what tips or items can be useful.
How to prevent a burglary in a house or apartment?
In the USA as in France, when a person is found guilty of a crime or an offense, he is sentenced. When it comes to a prison sentence, a whole set of administrative procedures is put in place. Then there is life inside the prison. Well, let's face it: currently, we are chasing terrorists more than burglars.
protect your home from burglary
But when you have a burglar on hand (or under locks), the SPIP (Penitentiary Service of Insertion and Probation) will ask questions to the prisoners. Among these questions are some that can inform homeowners who want to protect themselves from burglaries.
Question 1: "How do you get into a house or apartment? "
"You would be surprised how many people come out of their homes with an unlocked door or an open window." For more than 80% of the time, burglars declare that an unlocked door or window is the way to enter.
How to protect yourself when opening a home?
To effectively protect yourself from burglaries in relation to openings, several points should be checked:
Always check that the openings (doors and windows) are properly closed. This applies when you are at home, and all the more so when you leave home. Even for 5 minutes.
In case of absence, remember to activate your alarm. The length of absence does not matter. Whether 2 min or several hours, the alarm must always be activated if no one is at your house.
Question 2: "Do you ring the doorbell or knock on the front door before entering a house or apartment? "
" Always. Always ". And if a person is present, "I would say," Hey, do you know where this address is on this street? ". And the person present would point me in the right direction, and I would manage to come back later. ”
In fact, 83% of burglars surveyed said they always knock before entering a home. If someone responds, they have an excuse for it. The most popular are: "Can I use your phone? "; "Can you give me directions?" "; "Is it here or there?" Sorry, I must have the wrong address ”.
Find out before burglary
Before tracking down a prey, it is normal to learn about it: its strengths and weaknesses, lifestyle, number of people in the household, etc. etc. And before giving the final blow (by that means burglary), there is the last preparation: that of knowing if at time T, someone is present on the scene. So, yes, burglars learn about the presence or not of a person. In this case, what could be better than a video door entry unit that will record the images each time someone wants to interact with you.
The video door entry units are really great because they are actually the transition between what is really going on in your home, the rest of the world. To enter, you have to ring. In any case, as indicated above, in about 83% of the cases. Among the video door entry systems, it is possible to find the Ring Video Doorbell, Somfy, Doorbird or Konx door entry systems. The best video entryphone seems to be the Doorbird , definitely. But the cheaper Konx has many advantages.
Question 3: "What time of day do you prefer to operate for a burglary?" "
Burglars have “hours” of work, just like the rest of the population. The most popular time to rob a home is the middle of the morning of the week. The idea is: "You can enter a house much more easily during the day when people do not expect you to be there."
In fact, there are several favorite burglar schedules
The working hours of normal people, especially in the morning between 9 and 11 a.m.
Early afternoon, between 2 and 4 p.m.
Saturday evening when no one is present at his home
At night (more rare) after 11 p.m.
How to protect yourself from burglars according to the hours of the day?
As for the openings or the history of the video door entry systems, it is enough to have a good alarm system and to have it activated. If someone rings the doorbell from your video door entry system, you will receive the notification on your smartphone. So if for some reason someone else wants to communicate with you, you can talk to them, see them, and tell them to drop by later. Assuming of course that he is not a burglar ...
Question 4: "Where do you look for valuables? "
Once inside a home, most burglars seem to go to the same place: the master bedroom. "I go straight to the jewelry box and look under the mattress."
Master bedroom and precious property
The master bedroom is one of the rooms targeted (visited and emptied) first simply because there is Ms. jewelry, Mr. cufflinks, bracelets, watches, etc. Besides, sometimes there are also packets of tickets under the mattress, etc. So what to do about it?
The answer may be cruel, but it is: NOTHING. Apart from having a safe at home to avoid having your jewelry stolen, there is nothing you can do. The master bedroom will be systematically visited in the event of a burglar's intrusion. It's like that…
Question 5: "Do the protective panels or stickers posted outside the house prevent you from entering?" "
" Not at all ". "I would say that 50% of these signs and stickers, if not more, are false." When it comes to forgery, it is in fact a question of giving the illusion of an alarm system. So that's why you shouldn't take the burglar for an idiot . Moreover, for approximately 67% of burglars, despite a security sign posted outside or alarm stickers, this does not prevent them from entering to burglar.
Stickers, warning signs and burglary: what to do?
In fact, alarm signs or stickers are not a bad idea. On the contrary. But you actually need to know how to use them wisely. In principle, having a sign in the garden or a sticker on the front door saying that there is an alarm present on the premises is a very good thing. But this only has meaning and value if there is really a security system installed.
Otherwise, if you don't have an alarm or a video surveillance system, you lose all credibility in the face of a potential burglar. So to sum up, alarm warning stickers and signs are good, yes. But on the condition that the apartment or the house is truly equipped with an alarm system.
Question 6: "Are the lights on, the radio or television, or a car in the driveway a deterrent?" "
For lights on in a home: 75% of burglars take the risk of breaking in anyway
Radio or TV on: 64% of burglars still take the risk
Car in the driveway: 18% take the risk
This question is a bit like one of the articles recently posted about home lighting . The presence of simulators , indoor lighting etc are just small tools to significantly reduce the probability of being robbed. But they do not prevent a burglary. If you are not at home, it is best not to necessarily leave it on at home. It doesn't look very "natural". On the other hand, with certain connected programmers like the TP-Link HS100 or the WeMo , you can adjust your lighting more "naturally" and alternately.
Question 7: "If there is a surveillance camera visible, would that prevent you from burglary? "
"You're trying to bow your head, put on a hood, or whatever." "Just try to disguise yourself as much as possible." A visible surveillance camera would not prevent a burglary. But that would limit the risk by about 50%.
Visible and invisible surveillance camera: what to choose?
Regarding video surveillance, in fact, there are several options. But the reasoning is identical to the alarm system. Basically, do you have to show explicitly that a home is equipped with an alarm or video surveillance system? The answer is both yes and no. There are many monitoring systems, but few are truly effective.
The best way to monitor your home with video is to alternate between clearly visible and hidden cameras. To know what to take when it comes to video surveillance, you can read these articles relating to the best surveillance cameras , and how to hide your surveillance camera .
Question 8: “If an alarm system activates, what do you do? "
In the event of an alarm, 45% of burglars will leave immediately. But the remaining 55% say they would only leave before the police arrive. "There is the response time" that must be taken into account. “I know I have a minimum, I would say, two to three minutes to get in there and try to find valuable goods and get out. Very easy to do ”.
By reading such claims, this can only leave one perplexed by an alarm system. But there are several points to remember, whether for the alarm or for video surveillance.
If a burglar is targeting you, it's because they know what to expect. No matter what security systems you put in place. If you are the target of a burglar, you will pass it.
Alarms are only effective if the noise they make is deafening. For this, the siren must make a noise of at least 100Db. The more sirens you have, the better.
Smoke alarms are good alarms. But their price is high and in case of accidental triggering, you will be invaded by the fog at home. Smoke alarm systems are mainly useful for professional premises.
Question 9: "Do pets, like a dog, make you think twice?" "
"Always, always". "Especially the biggest dogs". About 50% of burglars report that they did not break into a home with a dog inside. Some have said that even if it is a small dog, they fear that all types of barking will catch the attention of neighbors.
The dog and the burglar: enemies?
The dog can be a good asset against the burglar. But be aware that not all burglars are animal friends. Some will not hesitate to kill the dog. But this remains quite rare.
For a dog to be effective against burglars, the dog must be inside the home and not outside . If the dog is outside the home, the probability of the dog being killed or poisoned is greater.
Question 10: "Have you already checked mailboxes or social networks to find out about people's habits? "
Regarding social networks and mailboxes, here are the key figures:
75% of burglars said they don't check mailboxes before burglarizing
83% of burglars said they don't check social networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
Social networks are actually little used by burglars, but they can be a clue to know the habits of people. However, in the case of the use of these social networks , they can prove to be very useful and make it possible to make profitable the probability of success of a burglary.
More tips to prevent a burglary or limit its likelihood
If you want to limit the probability of burglary at home, here are some tips:
Always lock your doors and windows
Keep dogs inside the home
Invest in quality security systems for both alarm and video surveillance
Secure valuables in a safe
Activate your alarm as soon as you leave home
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