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Do burglars target the same house twice?
They say that lightning never strikes twice; which is a reassuring thought but one far from the truth. Lighting can and will strike the same place twice, just as a burglar would.
If you’ve ever experienced being burgled, you would know that it is a traumatising experience that can leave a lasting impact on the victims. It not just affects them financially, but also mentally and emotionally.
The fact that someone intruded your personal space where you have your loved ones and valuable belongings is a disturbing and nightmare-inducing thought. But this has never stopped criminals from committing such crimes.
Burglaries are one of the most common crimes committed in the country with one happening every 108 seconds. Out of these, the victims have a 25% chance of being burgled again.
What makes burglars come back and how can you prevent it from happening? Read on to find out!
WHY DO BURGLARS TARGET THE SAME HOUSE TWICE?
Contrary to popular belief, it is not uncommon for burglars to target the same place twice. They believe that if they were able to escape successfully the first time, they would be able to do it again.
Some very few might be too paranoid to return, but a seasoned criminal would most likely return and be confident that they won’t get caught the second time either.
Burglars are opportunists who look for the slightest vulnerabilities in your security and take advantage of them. Once they know that your property is an easy target, they’ll likely return and also tell their peers about it.
Unless they leave behind proof of some kind which would result in them getting caught, they are likely to strike again and here’s why:
- The best time for burglars to rob a house for the second time is right after the first since most people aren’t expecting it. People believe it was just a matter of bad luck and that it is now over. Burglars make use of this unpredictability when you have your guard down.
- Since they’ve been in your house before, they are familiar with the layout and know all the weak spots. This enables them to plan a second burglary even better and draw lesser attention.
- There were valuables that they had their eyes on and due to unforeseen circumstances, they weren’t able to take them along. They might return for them and bring along tools to help them with the job.
- They keep tabs on their victims and know that their insurance will cover out all the stolen items. They know that it’s just a matter of time before they are replaced with newer, possibly better items.
- They are just downright cruel and don’t care about the trauma you and your family have suffered. They just look for easy ways to make cash and will go to any lengths to achieve it.
DO BURGLARS COME BACK AFTER A FAILED ATTEMPT?
Naturally, if a burglar targets your house and fails in his mission, you would give out a sigh of relief and think that the worst is over, right? Well, it might not be.
To redeem themselves, there is a high chance that the burglars would come back with a better plan. They had a good reason to target your house in the first place and won’t let a small set back keep them from getting what they want.
Here are a few things that might have temporarily foiled their plan:
- Your doors and windows were locked and more secure then they expected. They’ll probably return with the right tools to help them break-in.
- Based on their stalking and according to your routine, they thought the house would be unoccupied, but it wasn’t. They’ll come back when they are sure it is empty.
- Perhaps they were disturbed by the neighbours returning home unexpectedly or the kids playing down the street.
- They were scared off by your dummy home security system but come back soon after learning they don’t actually work and that your house is unprotected.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO AFTER A BURGLARY?
If you fall victim to a burglary, there are certain things that you must do right after:
- Do not let your guard down
You might think that since you’ve already been burgled, it won’t happen to you again – at least soon. You couldn’t be more wrong. Burglars are waiting to find the right moment to attack your property again and as soon as you let your guard down, you’re making yourself vulnerable and a potential repeated target.
- Call the police
Understand that you’re not equipped to deal with such criminals on your own. Do not, under any circumstances, try to tackle them. It’s very risky since some might come armed. The best and recommended course of action is to call the police right away. If you suspect they’re still inside your property, call the authorities from a safe distance such as the neighbour’s place or your car.
- Don’t touch anything
Your first impulse after you enter your house post-burglary would be to touch everything to see the amount of damage done. You must refrain from doing that at all costs. Touching things and cleaning up might erase evidence that the burglars might have mistakenly left behind. You must leave everything as it is and call the police so that they can properly investigate the crime scene.
- List down everything that has been stolen
Without touching anything, and after the police have done their search, make a list of everything that is missing giving special attention to important things like keys, bank cards, passports, and driver’s license. If your keys are missing, you must have the locks changed immediately, and if the bank cards are missing, you must block them and inform the bank immediately.
- Pay special attention to digital data
In addition to your physical valuables, you must always be extremely aware of your digital data and ensure it stays away from the wrong people. For some burglars, the main motive of breaking into someone’s property is to hack into their accounts to steal their information. After a burglary, make sure to change all the passwords on your devices and check to see if your hard drives and USBs have been tampered with.
- Inform your insurance company
If you have a home insurance policy to protect your home and valuables against any sort of mishap or calamity, now would be a good time to make a claim for the stolen and damaged items and property. Your insurer will advise you on what to do next and how to get paid for the loss incurred.
- Make your home secure
A burglar breaking into your home means there are security issues that you need to address ASAP. Burglars usually break in through the doors or windows which means they might be damaged or broken to gain unauthorized access. You need to fix them immediately and work on obvious weaknesses in your home security.
HOW TO BURGLE-PROOF YOUR HOME?
If your home was broken into, or even if it wasn’t, everyone needs to take the necessary security measures to keep burglars and intruders away from their property.
There are many things that you, as a homeowner, can do to burgle-proof your home:
- Reinforce the doors and windows
When a burglar looks for vulnerabilities in your home security, the doors and windows are usually the first things that they check. They are your first line of defence against such threats and must be given their due importance.
The strength and sturdiness of your doors and windows are crucial since if they can be easily broken, it doesn’t matter how good your locking mechanism is. Therefore, the first step to burgle-proofing your home is to reinforce the doors and windows with superior quality hardware.
- Switch to anti-snap locks
Not all locks are made the same. Though they’re all made for the same purpose; keeping unauthorized access at bay, some work better than others.
Lock-snapping is a very simple technique used by burglars to “snap” the lock into two and easily break-in. The good news is that this technique doesn’t work on all locks, and the bad news is that the majority of the locks installed in homes are the ones that it does work on. If you use the standard cylinder locks to protect your home, you must make the switch to anti-snap locks right away.
- Install burglar alarms
Burglars shouldn’t be taken lightly. They are sophisticated criminals who thrive on opportunities and for whom even a minute of poor judgement on your part is enough.
Home security systems such as burglar alarms are one of the best deterrents against them that work using a series of sensors that go off as soon as they detect any unusual activity, notifying the person-in-charge to take necessary action.
When triggered, the alarm makes a noise, usually accompanied by flashing lights which is enough to get people’s attention. For when the house is empty or for properties that are in secluded areas, professional burglar alarm monitoring services ensure that every alarm trigger is responded to.
- Keep the area under CCTV surveillance
CCTV surveillance systems are a powerful deterrent with experts believing that as many as 67% of domestic burglaries could be prevented if people had them installed on their properties.
They work using cameras that record footage, and monitors that display it in real-time. Placed in the right place and position, these cameras can help keep an eye on every inch of your property.
To take things up a notch, you can opt for professional CCTV monitoring services where trained experts keep a check on your camera’s live footage to pick up any discrepancies and immediately inform you and the relevant authorities.
- Purchase a safe
There are a few common hiding spots for valuables such as closets, drawers, and under the mattress that every burglar knows about and which they usually raid as soon as they break-in.
For repeated burglaries, it is even easier and quicker to find what they’re looking for since they’ve been inside the house before.
Security safes provide an effective hiding spot for your valuables that even if the burglars find, they won’t be able to break into or move it. There are various types of safes to choose from depending on the level of protection you want and the contents to be protected.
- Keep valuables out of sight
Keeping a huge wad of cash near your windows is sure to attract trouble. You don’t know if a passer-by is just a passer-by or a burglar in disguise scanning your house for an opportunity to break-in.
There are certain things that you must always keep hidden and away from plain sight such as valuables, car keys, money, and important documents. Expensive shed tools must also always be kept locked away.
- Keep your property well-lit
If you keep your property well-lit, burglars won’t stand a chance since all their actions will be in plain sight. The front porch, side alleys, and backyard must always have some lights on. Also, be sure to light up your driveways, garage, and other outdoor structures.
No lights also sometimes indicate that the house is empty, which is a great chance for burglars to strike. Even if the house is empty, leaving a few lights on inside and outside can throw them off-guard thinking there’s someone present inside.
Smart lights are also a great option that automatically turn on as soon as they detect any sort of activity. They have motion sensors in them that get triggered as soon as someone is in their radius, alerting the occupants of another presence.
- Don’t overshare on social media
In this day and age, criminals don’t need to stalk you in person. They can do it from the comfort of their home through social media.
People tend to share, sometimes overshare, personal details such as their routines and schedules giving these criminals the much-needed insight that they’re looking for. Sharing about your travel plans and posting pictures publicly validates their doubts about your property being empty giving them a chance to easily break-in.
CONTACT CALDER SECURITY
Calder Security provides a complete solution for all your home security needs ranging from anti-snap locks to CCTV cameras.
We’ve been in the security industry for over 40 years and our experts can help you with a wide range of services including professional installation, maintenance, monitoring, and repair.
Our extensive experience enables us to provide you with the most ideal recommendations best suited to your property and individual needs.
- We are SSAIB approved installers: all of our intruder alarm installations comply with standards: PD6662: 2010, DD243 and BS8243 required to qualify for police assistance.
- Our systems meet the stringent requirements of BS4737 and European Standard EN50131.
- We only install high-quality systems including Texecom, Visonic, Scantronic, Risco, and Pyronix that we know and trust.
- Our monitoring stations operate via DualCom GPRS and BT Redcare GSM; the most secure intelligent alarm signalling services in the UK.
- Our experts can detect and fix issues that you may not even be aware of.
- We can repair most burglar alarms and CCTV systems, even if we haven’t installed them ourselves.
- We offer both analogue HD and IP camera systems and can advise on the best solution for your home.
- We are members of the Master Locksmith Association (MLA) since 1976 and can supply and work on a vast range of locking mechanisms.
- We are the official suppliers for leading lock brands including Chubb, Yale, Securikey, and Garrison.
- We are familiar with a wide range of safes, cash boxes, and strong boxes, and can also repair safes not supplied or installed by us.
- We are qualified and experienced specialist security system engineers; general electrical engineers cannot rival our knowledge of security systems.
Let’s work together to make your home a safer place for you and your family. Contact us right away!
Photo by Peter Mason on Unsplash