How burglars choose their targets

Approximately 816 burglaries occur every day in the UK and is of no surprise that people are worried about becoming a victim of such a prolific crime. So it would be an advantage to know what it is that burglars look for in a target.

There are a number of things that criminals look for in a target, so when you evaluate your property's security the key is to get into the mindset of a burglar to spot any weak points. This will allow you to better secure your home.

What makes your home a target

There are a wide range of things criminals look out for when choosing what home to target. So to better secure your property we have come up with this handy guide on what may make your home more of a target.

Your home is not secure

Criminals often look for homes which are unsecure such as open windows or doors that allow criminals to easily access your home, so they can grab what they want and make a getaway without bringing much unwanted attention. Apparently 4% of people don't lock any door or window when they leave their property and more shockingly around 21% of burglars gain access by walking through an unlocked door.

You should always lock all doors and windows when leaving your property and when you go to sleep at night, otherwise you are making yourself an easy target for burglars.

Your garden is an easy and valuable target

Accessing your garden is a tactic often used by burglars as they can usually gain access to your home easier or steal valuable items from your garden such as  bikes, power tools and gardening tools. Furthermore if your garden is easy to access it could provide burglars  a place to scope out your home. We recommend having the highest possible fence in your garden, this is usually 6.5 foot  before planning permissions would be needed.

Your on holiday and the burglar knows this

An empty property is a burglar's favourite type of property as they will have more time to gain access and the chances of getting caught are much less compared to an occupied property.  The tell tale signs of someone is  on holiday are as follows

• A build up of mail
• A buildup of milk bottles
• A buildup of news papers
• Lights never on

So to try and overcome these issue we recommend the following;

1. Use Royal Mails keep safe service to withhold your mail for the duration you are away.
2. Cancel any deliveries such as newspapers and milk.
3. Use plug timers to turn on and off appliances such as lamps, radios and TV’s during the day and night.
4. Lastly ask a trusted family member, friend or neighbour to visit your property and ensure it is secure and to change your plug timers

Dark and covered areas outside your home

Burglars usually pick their target based on the belief that they have a low or at least lower chance of getting caught. To assess a property some burglars will scope out a property and to do this they will remain unseen in dark and covered areas in your garden for example. To help counter this we highly recommend installing motion sensor based lighting in dark areas of your garden and near any accessible doors and windows. This ensures anyone who gets close will be illuminated to you and your neighbours bringing much unwanted attention, while also not annoying your neighbours with a bright light shining all night long.

You have little to no security

Unfortunately many homes lack decent security measures and have just the basics, such as a low quality lock and no additional security measures to either doors or windows. Former burglars admit to staying away from homes with better security measures in place. 

Door security measures

Wooden doors

Ensure you have the following installed onto your door

1. British Standard 5 Lever Mortice Lock
2. British Standard Automatic or Double Locking Night Latch
3. Letter Box Cage
4. Door Chain
5. Peep hole

UPVC doors

Ensure you have the following installed onto your door

1. British standard 3 Star Euro Cylinder (look for the British Standard Kite Mark)
2. Sash Jammers
3. Letter Box Cage
4. Door Chain
5. Hinge Bolts/Dog Bolts

Changing your locks isn't very difficult and there are many videos on youtube which can help you measure, select and replace your locks, however if you do not feel comfortable doing so ask a local locksmith or handyman to change your locks if needed.

If you have the budget you may also want to think about having a home alarm system installed. While quite expensive they are seen as an effective deterrent especially when used properly. Atonishanily 1/3rd of people never activate their alarm system, so ensure you are not one of these people.

Another expensive but potential and effective enhancement to your property security is CCTV. Modern CCTV systems have dramatically reduced in cost and the quality has dramatically enhanced over the last 10 years. Furthermore most systems now can stream directly to your smartphone using your home's wifi and a dedicated app, meaning wherever you are in the world as long as you have an internet connection you can see what's going on in your home.

You have been targeted before and have failed to improve your security

If you have unfortunately been a victim of a burglary in the past, there is a 1 in 4 chance you will be burgled again, this may be due to the burglar knowing your properties lack of security and their increased confidence. This would suggest it becomes imperative to upgrade your property's security if you are unfortunate enough to become a victim of a burglary to help ensure it doesn't happen again.

Opportunist burglars can see valuable items

Many burglaries are planned while many others are crimes of opportunity. A study by Safewise UK found 47% of burglaries  are not planned and are spur of the moment crimes. To stop this type of burglar you will need to keep any valuables out of sight and thus out of mind. You can do this in a number of ways.

Firstly ensure you keep your windows or blinds closed where possible  to stop any thieves seeing your property valuables.

Secondly If you have a shed or garage ensure you have the windows covered by either a curtain, blind, or cloudy film. Sheds and garages are often targeted by criminals as they are easy to gain access to and often contain valuable items. Furthermore ensure you have a heavy duty padlock fitted to your shed.

Thirdly If you have brought new expensive items such as TV’s computer consoles and games ensure you don’t leave the boxes out the front of your home for the whole world to see, as someone passing may take a note of what new expensive items you have. Instead recycle any cardboard boxes right away if possible or store them somewhere out of site until rubbish collection day.

Final thoughts

Burglaries are a prolific problem with one occurring every 105 seconds in the UK. But by taking some simple and easy to follow steps it is possible to greatly reduce the chance of becoming a victim. For more Security information check out a locksmiths blog.