Home security tips from criminals

Barcelona real estate Blog

Thursday, 17 March 2011 09:55

Home security is a seemingly constant hot topic. The reason being that crime rates are still high, with home break-in’s forming a large part of all reported crimes. Security companies and governmental projects aim to stem the tide of criminal activity by providing advice and offering support. But other than adhering to the sometimes obvious steps, what more can a home owner do to protect their houses and property.

The answer comes from a slightly unusual source; by asking the criminals themselves what they look for and by dissecting their methodology. Although having been prosecuted; their insights may prove invaluable in highlighting precautions which home owners should take.

The internet is awash of such interview transcripts, so we have sifted through these and highlighted what we deem to be the top tip to improving your home security.

1. If you do get broken into, leave something out

A pretty negative first point admittedly. However there are security tips to be taken here. Firstly burglars seemingly have two things in mind when they enter a property:

• To steal valuables and cash
• To get out as quickly as they can with the valuables and cash

From looking at it with this perspective it might be an idea to leave something out; perhaps leave some cash in an envelope within a draw marked ‘deposit’ or similar. Therefor giving the burglar a reason to exit the premises and as such eliminate the risk of you coming face to face with them. It doesn’t matter how sneaky you think you are being with your hiding place, professional burglars have seen it all before and will tear through your house to find it (causing a lot of damage).

2. Alarm signage really does work

The UK government conducted an interview of 82 offenders to uncover trends and top level statistics. When asked to rank different deterrents in order of effectiveness the ‘presence of alarms outside property’ ranked highest. It therefore seems logical that if you have an alarm but no signage you should contact your security company and request they send you one. Similarly if you don’t have an alarm system, why not invest in a sign..?

3. Try to keep valuables out of sight

The same government survey of UK burglars outlined that the situational cue most likely to encourage a burglary was the knowledge or suggestions of valuables within a property. The obvious suggestion here then would be to ensure that all valuables are out of sight and concealed. It would be worth suggesting here that leaving empty boxes in sight will undoubtedly generate a similar amount of interest. Therefore leave them inside or in the garage until the waste collectors appear.

4. Encourage nosey neighbours

Although visibly showing your participation in a neighbourhood watch scheme ranks relatively low in its ability to dissuade potential robbers. One convicted burglar from Dallas stated that he would actively avoid areas which he thought to contain ‘nosey neighbours’. We all have different relationships with our neighbours, some good, others slightly more challenging. But if there is one thing we can all agree on it is ensuring the safety of our homes, so why not occasionally have a look out the window or try to talk to any suspicious looking people.

5. Don’t let them know you are out of town

Obvious signals that you are out of town were agreed upon by most every interviewee’s as being one of the biggest determining factors in committing a burglary. It sounds very obvious, but don’t let mail build up on your doorstep, cancel newspapers/milk/any subscription. One burglar said that he even suspected that cunning neighbours had been creating fake footprints and tyre marks in the snow for the house next door... very clever indeed.

This security article and concepts are brought to you in association with Yale composite doors. All of Yale’s composite doors are designed and manufactured to ‘secured by design’ status. Yale front doors are made to the standards set by the makers of the world’s favourite lock.