Inside the Mind of a Thief
August 20th, 2010 admin
You may think you’ve covered all your grounds and your house is perfectly safe but there are a probably a few things you might be overlooking. Police officers have managed to gain a great deal of information from convicted burglars as to what they look for in a home. In order to keep your home as safe as possible, make sure you don’t fall into one of these vulnerable categories.
- Most home owners make the mistake of hiding all their valuables in predictable places. Even though you think putting jewelry or cash in a sock drawer or under a mattress is secretive, this is usually the first place burglars look. It is usually assumed that nothing of value will be found in a child’s room or a guest bedroom. Therefore, these areas of your house make good hiding spots. Although, we don’t suggest telling your five-year-old where the hiding spot is.
- Don’t leave valuables unidentifiable. Electronic equipment and jewelry are two of the most common items stolen from a home. Usually these items have nothing to designate who they belong to. If you engrave your name onto your valuables, a burglar will not likely be able to pawn them and there is a better chance of your items being returned.
- Your safe box may be fire proof, water proof and made of stainless steel, but if it’s not secured to your home somehow, there is nothing stopping a burglar from carrying it away. Many safes come with the option of being bolted to the floor or installed in a wall. This way, your items are completely secure and a thief probably won’t even bother with it.
- Create an authentic image of activity when you’re away on vacation. Everyone knows the old tricks of leaving on a light or having the mail picked up when you’re out of town, but a professional criminal can see right through these elementary efforts. Set a few lights on daily timers so that certain lights aren’t always on or off. You should also turn down or mute your telephone ringer so a burglar wouldn’t notice a constantly unanswered telephone.
- Never leave kids toys or lawn equipment lying around the yard. Not only are you inviting a burglar to walk up and take something, but you are advertising what you have. You are giving a criminal an idea of what valuables to expect and look for when they return when you’re not home.
Entry Filed under: Burglary Avoidance
