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Home burglaries are a common issue faced by many homeowners. They can take place in broad daylight and within a few minutes and can have a lasting impact on the victims both financially and mentally.
When breaking in, most burglars are looking for easy-to-find valuables that are simple to carry out without attracting too much attention. Strangers wheeling out a huge treadmill out of your house isn’t really subtle and is sure to raise a few eyebrows.
These criminals are very smart and most of them do their homework well in advance. Many are known to “case” their targets for weaknesses and opportunities, and then strike when the time is right.
There are a few common places where burglars are known to look first, which are corroborated by ex-criminals as explained in this news article.
Knowing these hotspots will give you an upper hand so that you avoid keeping your valuables there and look for other more secure areas to store them.
Read on to find out more about how these criminals think, what they look for, where they look first, and what you can do to keep your valuables safe:
WHAT BURGLARS LOOK FOR
Some things are more lucrative to burglars than others and identifying what those things are can allow you to protect them better.
Generally, burglars are on the lookout for valuable things that they can steal with ease and quickly turn into cash. Here are some of the most common things that burglars look for:
Cash
Cash is probably the most obvious thing on this list since it is what most burglars are after. It has quick value and can easily be carried. Another thing that makes it great to steal is that it is mostly untraceable.
Jewellery
Jewellery not only has great sentimental value but is also highly valuable. The materials used to make jewellery – diamond, platinum, gold, and silver – all are very high in value and are very easy to extract and sell in order to make quick money.
Guns
Possessing guns is a huge responsibility and you have a legal obligation to store them safely and away from the wrong hands. Guns are often a hot target for burglars because stolen ones are valuable on the black market.
They make it easy for people to get a gun who can’t lawfully buy it and give the police a hard time tracking who the owners are.
Small Electronics
Instead of going for big electronic devices such as televisions and desktops, burglars opt for smaller electronics such as laptops, gaming consoles, mobile phones, and tablets. These items are very easy to sell off for a good amount of money and also relatively easy to carry.
Medication
There is a huge black market for prescription drugs where they sell even easier than electronics and gadgets. As difficult as that is to believe, it is very true and the reason why many burglars look for medicines, particularly painkillers and tranquilisers.
Keys
House and car keys are one of the most stolen items during a burglary. House keys are usually stolen to make it easy to break in the next time or are sold off to other burglars. Car keys allow burglars to simply walk to your car and drive off with it.
Personal information
Identity theft is a serious issue that is becoming increasingly common. Documents such as your bank statements, passports, and birth certificates are just as valuable as your cash and jewellery as they can be used to blackmail you or target you for fraud.
This is not a definitive list of things burglars look for and can include many other items depending on the scale of the robbery. Most burglars are greedy and take pretty much everything they can get their hands on.
WHERE DO BURGLARS LOOK FIRST
There are several vulnerable spots in your home, mainly because burglars know you’re most likely to hide your valuables there. Here are some of the most common places where burglars look for valuables and items of interest:
Master bedroom
The master bedroom is a goldmine for burglars, which is why it is their first stop after breaking into a house. It is the room with the most valuables and, therefore, a mandatory stop during a break-in.
It is where you’re most likely going to have your clothes, jewellery, extra cash, prescriptions, guns, and basically anything of value.
Most people have a habit of hiding money and important documents under the mattress and burglars are aware of this. You may have seen in the movies how burglars topple over mattresses in an attempt to find something there because they usually do.
Burglars may also rummage through your bedside drawers and closet looking for cash and other valuables. The dresser and dresser drawers are a definite stop since that’s where most people keep their jewellery and watches.
Medicine cabinet
Since medicines and other prescription drugs are such a hot item for burglars, they are sure to raid your bathroom and medicine cabinet looking for them.
As discussed earlier, these pills sell quickly and are an easy way for crooks to make quick cash. While losing these pills may not be a concern to you as you can easily get a refill, you need to be extra careful with what you store nearby.
Hiding valuables in the medicine cabinet or using an old pill container to hide your jewellery will make them even easier to find. Avoid putting anything of significant value near any medication of any kind.
Office drawers
Aside from the master bedroom, the home office or study is one of the first places burglars check for valuables.
You are most likely to keep your important documents in your office drawers, making them incredibly easy to steal and misuse.
Your home office is also most likely where burglars will find equipment like laptops, tablets, speakers, and other similar items of value.
Portable safe
The presence of a safe means that it most probably has something valuable in it. While a safe allows you to protect your valuables behind a locked door, a portable one isn’t of much use since it can easily be moved and stolen.
If your safe is small and portable, they’ll take the whole thing with them. These types of safes are mostly found in the home office or master bedroom.
Living room and kitchen
Once the burglars are done searching your bedroom and home office, they are likely to continue their search in the living room and kitchen.
Instead of targeting bigger electronic items such as the refrigerator and television, which are a hassle to move and most likely to draw attention towards the burglars, they will look for smaller appliances and gadgets that they can stuff in their bags.
The kitchen cabinets are another place where these burglars like to look, which is why if you use them as a hiding place for your valuables, you have to be smart about how you conceal them.
Lone vases and awkwardly placed decoration pieces also attract unwanted attention and are usually seen thrashed after a burglary.
Entryway and near doors and windows
Most burglaries are rushed because the burglars want to be done in the least possible time without getting caught. This often results in desperate attempts at finding valuables and not having enough time to go through the entire house.
When this happens, burglars may stay near the entrance and rummage through the tables and drawers near your front door and oftentimes even get very lucky and hit the jackpot.
Many people have a habit of leaving their car and house keys in the entryway or near the door for convenience. Not only is this convenient for you but also makes it incredibly easy for burglars to steal them.
Leaving valuables near the doors and windows is extremely risky since burglars expect you to do that and retrieve and steal the keys using a popular technique called “fishing”.
Fishing is when burglars use everyday items such as the hooks of wire coat hangers to grab the keys through the letterbox on the front door.
Leaving the keys in the back of the door is a bad idea for the same reason and is particularly risky if the front door has a glass panel in or near it. The glass can easily be broken to steal the keys from the lock allowing intruders to gain access to your property.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR VALUABLES SAFE FROM BURGLARS
Burglars may do their best to find your valuables to steal, but luckily there are ways you can keep them safe from their sharp eyes.
All it takes is a little foresight and simple yet effective security practices to make sure you, your loved ones, and your valuables remain safe.
Knowing what burglars steal and where they look is important information as it tells you where not to keep certain items of value. Read our detailed guides on how to know if your house is being watched or targeted by burglars and how they choose a house to break into to gain more insight on the matter.
Here are a few tips on how to keep your valuables safe from burglars and prevent your house from being targeted in the first place:
Invest in a high-quality lock and door system
The doors and windows are the main entry points to your home. Leaving them open and unlocked is like inviting burglars into your house. Remember, if your house is on their watch list, they’ll be waiting for you to make such an error of judgement and attack at the right opportunity.
Strong doors and secure locks are an essential part of security and are considered one of the most basic forms of physical defence against intrusions.
There are severaltypes of door locksavailable on the market. Some of the most common types include mortice, rim, lever, and cylinder/Euro locks.
Smart locksare another amazing option that you can use to prevent unauthorised access into your home. They work just like regular locks with the addition of allowing you to monitor them using smart devices such as your phone, tablet, or laptop.
Keep your valuables away from doors and windows
Do not flaunt your valuables as it is sure to attract the wrong people. Placing items of value near the doors and windows is a guaranteed way to put your home on target.
If burglars know and can see that you have items of value that they can steal and make money off of, they will attempt to do so.
Items such as keys, money, jewellery, expensive gadgets, and personal documents must all be keptaway from doors and windowswhere passers-by can easily see them.
Also, make sure to carefully dispose of the packaging for appliances, electronics, and gadgets. Do not leave empty boxes outside your house.
Invest in a safe
A safe is a secure lockable box that comes in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and types and is perfect for protecting your valuables not only from theft but also from fire and water damage.
In order to maximise the safety and security benefits of having a safe on your property, it is very important that you choose a strategic location for it and have it installed properly.
As mentioned earlier, portable and lightweight safes are not a great option since they can easily be moved and stolen.
A home safe is a great way to keep items of value hidden from theft, but the safe must either be installed in the wall, under the floor, or anchored to the wall or floor so that it becomes impossible to move.
Also, you have to be smart about the way you conceal it from plain sight. You can use a piece of furniture or artwork to hide your wall safe and use a carpet or table to conceal your floor safe.
Install a security alarm system
Installing a security alarm system is an effective way of keeping intruders away from your home. According to reports, burglars avoid targeting houses with a security system for the fear of getting caught.
Burglar alarms are equipped with sensors that get triggered as soon as they detect unusual activity such as someone trying to break in.
Coupled withprofessional monitoring services, they can provide a great level of security with experts keeping an eye on your home, even in your absence.
Put up CCTV cameras
CCTV cameras are another great deterrent for break-ins and their mere sight is enough to scare away potential criminals.
Strategically placed CCTV cameras help prevent unauthorised access to your property and help prevent burglaries and intrusions.
They can be placed both inside and outside your home. One of the best places to install them is the main entrance of the house so that you can monitor everyone approaching your property. This will make it impossible for the burglars to break in through the door without getting recorded on camera.
CONTACT CALDER SECURITY
At Calder Security, we provide acomprehensive range of security solutionsthat include not just professional installation but also monitoring, maintenance, and repair services.
We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA), approved members of the Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB), and also conform to all the relevant British and EU Standards.
We follow all the best practices in the industry and install only high-quality, state-of-the-art security systems.
We offer various levels of monitoring via a 24-hour monitoring centre using Dualcom andBT Redcare signalling, which is the most secure alarm monitoring system and the largest supplier of intelligent alarm signalling services in the UK.
We understand the importance of having to regularly maintain security systems since the inability to do so might result in serious faults and consequent vulnerabilities in your property’s security.
We provide professional maintenance checks and reminders for when the checks are due to help you stay compliant with the law and work fast to restore your security systems to excellent condition.
We offer a 24-hour call-out service for customers and can also repair systems not installed by us. Our engineers are highly skilled and can restore faulty systems to full working order in one visit.
Contact us hereor call us on 0800 612 9799 to talk to our experts right away!
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
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