According to some recent FBI statistics, a burglary happens in the United States every 15.5 seconds, and is the most common danger to the security of our homes. This article discusses varied things you can do to make your home more secure. Burglary, by definition, is non-confrontational and non-violent and occurs when the person is not at home. Even though the criminals have long since left the scene, the emotional effects of a burglary can be devastating.
Before we dive into ways to prevent a home burglary,
it's essential to have an understanding of when the home burglaries happen, who commits the burglaries, and what is generally taken.
Almost all home burglaries in a residence happen during the day, when people are out of town or at work. The summer months are when most home burglaries occur. February actually has the fewest number of burglaries compared to any other time of the year.
Burglaries are usually perpetrated by men under 25 years of age. The thieves are almost always trying to take off with small objects that are easy to carry away and swap for quick cash that is needed for food an housing and more often than not, illegal drugs.
The crooks usually grab guns, watches, jewelry, DVD players, and computers. All of these items are easily hidden in a duffel bag as the criminal exits the house, and are easy to sell for to cash.
Burglars never wish to do any extra work if they don't have to, so they first look for an unlocked door or window. And, unlike most movies where the burglar carries a fancy lock pick kit, bad guys prefer to use basic household items such as screwdrivers, pliers,crow bars and hammers.
Although it may seem like burglaries are random and happen on a whim, this is rarely the case. The bad guy will usually go for the easiest target. This is the residence with the easiest access, great places to hide, and a adequate means of escape.
Burglars usually go for the easy target! Most burglars will stay away from your home if it seems too difficult to break into. So the best way to help deter burglaries is to make it difficult for a thief to break in.
Experienced burglars pick an entry point that has the most cover, and usually has the weakest lock. This is always the garage door, followed by the back door, and then the front door.
But first let's review some recommendations on the types of locks
you should think about:
- Purchase a high quality, heavy-duty, deadbolt lock that has a one-inch throw bolt (This is the part that slides into the door when it is locked)
- If you have to use a "knob-in-lock", make sure you use one that's superior quality, heavy duty, and has a "dead-latch" feature.
- A "dead-latch" mechanism prevents a credit card or shim from being used to pop open the lock.
- A superior quality deadbolt will have what's called a beveled case. This usually stops the use of channel lock pliers to shear off the pins of the lock and get in.
- Invest in the extra money and get Grade One or Grade Two locks for exterior doors, as these resist pounding, and lock picking.
An Extra Tip:
Most people leave a spare set of keys in the vehicle. Thieves are well aware of this and first look inside your vehicle for house keys and valuables. Don't fail to lock your automobile, even if it's "safely" in the garage.
Now let's talk about doors.
Follow these tips below when considering doors in your house.
- Don't fail to spend the extra money and purchase solid core or metal doors for all exterior entrance points. Usually, cheap exterior doors will have hollow cores, and can easily be kicked through with not much effort by a determined bad guy.
- If the door doesn't come with one, put in a peephole that is a wide-angle 160°, placed no higher than 58 inches from the floor.
- Make sure the door comes with a heavy-duty, four-screw, strike plate with 3-inch screws in order to sink deep into a wooden door frame. The strike plate is typically the weakest part of the door, as this is where the deadbolt holds the door in place with the door jamb. Cheap doors are made with very soft wooden moldings that are typically lightly tacked onto the door frame. All it takes a powerful kick or shove with a shoulder to tear the lightweight molding away and burst the door open.
- Also, always make sure that the screws that hold the door hinges in place have a minimum two 3 inch screws per hinge plate.
- Make sure that the screws holding the knob lock strike plate are longer ones as well.
We always urge spending a little money to get great solid core or metal exterior doors, and strong, heavy duty locks. Remember that an experienced burglar can identify good doors and good locks.
It is very likely that the visible presence of these upgrades will cause the burglar to think twice and seek out an easier target.
