hurray your mega menu works

6 Common Home Burglary Myths

We’ve all heard the stories of somebody local suffering the trauma of being burgled at home. It can be a terrifying ordeal, and your home may never feel the same afterwards. But what you hear from that person could well be an exaggerated version of what was told to them in the first place. By the time it reaches even more pairs of ears, a whole new burglary myth may well have been created.

Let’s debunk some of the most common home burglary myths. We all want to avoid burglaries at home, so it’s important that we don’t follow bad advice. Instead, we should be using the most effective and reliable burglary prevention techniques. With Calder Security, you’ll know exactly how to protect your home – and how not to.

Neighbourhood Watch Will Deter Burglars

This is a popular one! Many people move into a new home, sign up for their local neighbourhood watch programme, and forget about the risk of burglaries completely. Somebody else can do the hard work, right? When you let your guard down, you put yourself at a significantly higher risk of robbery.

Neighbourhood Watch UK are there to “support you with crime prevention information and resources.” The key word to take from their mission statement is ‘support’ – the hard work needs to start with you.

Share whatever information you can with neighbours and friends, and support the neighbourhood watch community as much as possible. That means protecting your home effectively, and not creating easy burglary opportunities.

While it helps to keep an eye on any suspicious activity taking place on your street, you shouldn’t find yourself relying purely on your neighbours to keep your home secure. Did you know that an average burglary lasts only 8 minutes? Even the most watchful neighbour can easily miss it.

You’re Not at Risk of Burglary

This next burglary myth follows on from the previous one: that you’re not at risk of burglary. As we’ve already mentioned, everybody knows somebody that’s suffered from a burglary. It has to be somebody, doesn’t it? When you present enough opportunities, eventually it will be you.

According to a One Poll report, there are 7 burglaries for every 1000 houses in the United Kingdom – and that’s only on average. Areas such as Manchester and London suffered as many as 23 burglaries for every 1000 houses. If you’re not careful, the next home could well be yours.

Burglars Are Scared of Big Dogs

This one might make you smile, but you’d be shocked by how many people believe that a barking dog will deter burglars completely. While it’s true that a dog at home will make life much more difficult for a burglar, it’s not enough to prevent them from robbing your home.

The majority of burglars have done their homework – they’ll be fully aware that there’s a dog home before they break in. They’ll either choose to attack when nobody (including the dog) is home, or they’ll distract the dogs with some tasty treats. In the worst-case scenario, and if the burglary is absolutely worthwhile, they may even attack and injure your dog to gain entry.

Burglaries Only Occur When Nobody’s Home

We already told you that burglars do their homework – you would too if you needed to give yourself the best possible chance of success. The majority of burglaries take place when nobody is home. This makes sense, since the risk of getting caught is at its lowest.

But that doesn’t mean that burglaries don’t take place when people are home. Burglars will already know how many people live inside, what some of their daily habits are, and when the lights normally go off. They’ll have identified weak points and entry points, and they’ll make the most of them even while you’re sound asleep.

Burglars Only Force Their Way into Homes

Is the thought of a burglary synonymous with the sound of broken glass and a forced door lock? Think again. The same One Poll report discovered that more than 50% of burglars enter through the front of the property. In fact, 75% of all break-ins come via the front door.

Almost 1 in 4 times, the front door is left unlocked. For the 25% of burglaries where a burglar enters through the window, a window is smashed only 5% of the time.

The statistics make it clear that burglars don’t have to force their way inside your home to steal your valuables. Complacency plus a disregard for security will soon be spotted and used against you.

Home Security Systems Aren’t Affordable

So what do you do to prevent burglaries, since we’ve made it sound so easy? What chance do you have of protecting your home properly when there are so many different ways that burglaries can occur?

Studies have also found that the best way to prevent burglaries is by installing security cameras, burglar alarms, and motion-detection lighting. It’s also essential that you install high-security locks on your doors and windows. At Calder Security, we can help you purchase and install all of these security mechanisms without it costing the earth.

If you thought that home security systems were too expensive, then please get in touch with our Calder Security team. We offer fantastic rates to get your home protected and secure. Besides, what’s the cost of fully securing your home from theft? How much is your home – and the valuables inside it – worth?

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for motion sensor lighting, alarm systems, or CCTV cameras. At Calder Security, we stock and supply all the products you could need to keep potential burglars away.

As Yorkshire’s leading independent security company, keeping you safe is our top priority.