Why do burglars do what they do and how can we do our part to prevent it from happening to us? In this article, we try to explore the mentality of a burglar based on our research in order to better prevent burglaries.
Contents
- Choosing Their Target
- The Way In
- Sight Lines
- What Else Burglars Look For In An Easy Target
- Rob From The Rich And Give…To Themselves
- Burglars Generally Want To Avoid Confrontations, But Sometimes They Don't Care
- What Do Burglars Want?
- Steps To Prevention
- Psychological Consequences Of A Burglary
- To Conclude…
- Related Posts
By definition, a burglary is when a person forcibly enters a home with the intent to commit a theft or some other type of crime, even assault or murder. Its worth noting that they don't have to commit the crime for their invasion to be considered a burglary.
Let's get something straight off the top here. In this day and age, a property owner needs to make sure they don't do anything impulsive, like try to intentionally injure the intruder, or they could get sued for it.
The reason for this - and this is just based on what we've seen - is because you may not be within your legal right to do so. You might think its within your rights, but it depends on all kinds of things so know the law in your state.
The case below should prove to you that this is a complicated issue, regardless of where you stand on it.
The number of burglary cases in a region is generally linked to several factors: urban population density, the level of wealth in a particular area, and availability of police forces to respond to emergencies. If you think about it, its fairly common sense.
What may, on the surface, seem less logical is that burglaries happen more frequently during the day than at night. The reason here is because the majority of people are at their day jobs and are therefore absent from their homes at this time. This makes many unwatched homes easy targets for break-ins, and why home security systems are so important these days.
Burglars may generally be an uneducated lot, but they are also usually quite clever as well when it comes to criminal activities. They lack empathy, and, like the predators they are, they have a sense for "opportunities" when it comes to their targets. As such, they are good at figuring out people's habits, and won't hesitate to take advantage of someone's vulnerability. Many burglars are less devious, and instead just very desperate for money.
Choosing Their Target
At night, if the lights in a home are turned off, it can be harder for a burglar to tell if you're not home, or just asleep. Some burglars don't care either way, and may attempt a break-in even if you are at home and asleep or even awake, but these types of break-and-enter scenarios are in the minority. Most burglars don't like to take such risks, as they want to be sure their target is an easy, undefended one.
Overall, night time break-ins are riskier for a burglar, since they can't find their way around as easily, requiring them to carry around things like flashlights, which can announce their presence. They might accidentally make some noise, alert a guard dog, who knows?
In this connected age we live in, it is that much easier for people to report unusual behavior as almost everyone has a phone on them at all times. This is why daytime burglaries are more common - because they're simply easier for a variety of reasons.
The Way In
Burglars will often have a crowbar or some tool with them that will help them gain access, and these days that might even include a "bump key", which can disable certain deadbolts. (Read more about the threat of lock bumping along with solutions in this lock bumping article here).
The two obvious ways that thieves get in is either through a window or a door. Windows require a bit more stealth than doors as it may require breaking glass or climbing. With doors, burglars usually try to break in via brute force and this can often be your front door, oddly enough. Many burglars simply take the easiest route of all and walk up your front walk to your front door, and quickly try to bust in.
If the lock on your door (or even the exterior door itself) is weak, it may only require one swift kick and they're in.
Logically, it is much easier for a thief to get in and out of a house at ground level, rather than climb up to a window or rooftop. This is why the front door is so suprisingly popular, but side and back doors are certainly not off limits to burglars either.
Hence, more security needs to be placed on doors and windows at ground level, whether that include strategic placement of security cameras or burglar-proofing your windows in some way.
During holiday and festival times, people tend to be out of their house more often due to visiting family. They also might be away on vacation for extended periods of time, making it easier for a burglary to happen. Be careful not to announce your plans too blatantly on Facebook, because criminals use it too.
At certain times of year, gift giving is more popular, and, as a result, some households have more things in them to steal. Of course, burglars are well aware of this too.
Sometimes, a burglar might study the habits of an entire neighborhood they are targeting, and narrow their selection down to the house that looks like the easiest target.
They might try to figure out things like: when are people home vs. at work, the presence or absence of security ( cameras, locks, guard dogs, etc.), and how easily they can access a home without being noticed by neighbors. When you think about it, it takes relatively little planning on their part for a potentially big payoff.
Sight Lines
A term often used in hunting to describe the view from hunter to target, "sight lines" are a big part of a burglar's strategy, if only subconsciously.
Logically, if your property has a lot of bushes or trees, sight lines become limited, making it easier for a burglar to sneak around unseen.
For instance, someone might approach your home and you wouldn't see them coming if you weren't on the lookout. Homes are not castles, they don't have guards standing watch. In other words, there is no lookout.
Take a look at the property below for a moment…
If a burglar tried to cross the front yard, it would be easy enough to spot them because its wide open. However, as the house backs onto some forested area, the sight lines become limited due to all those trees, making it easier for a thief to approach unless by either you or a security camerathat has been set up to watch the area.
Trees and other things like fences can also create separation between neighbors' homes, preventing friendly neighbors (provided you have them) from keeping an eye out for you. Sometimes, we want trees and fences up for privacy, but that can also work against us when it comes to burglars, who can use these barriers to sneak around.
What Else Burglars Look For In An Easy Target
When a potential thief targets a neighborhood, they are looking (and listening) for things like barking dogs (or signage), nosy neighbors peering out windows, and generally trying to weigh out how risky things will be.
Burglars are by no means without fear, and often act quickly out of desperation. This is why many burglaries don't work as planned, and some can lead to real violence as a result of an unwanted confrontation with the homeowner.
Rob From The Rich And Give…To Themselves
To be frank, burglars aren't looking for a neighborhood with too many things going on day and night. This means people could be watching and they don't want that. At the same time, the richer neighborhoods are usually the quieter ones (no 24 hour parties going on), which works out for your average burglar who are looking to rob higher income houses anyway.
You've probably seen in movies when a thief says "Gimme all yer money…" when they're going to rob someone. That stereotype, we think, is pretty accurate. Burglars want your money. If they break in and steal jewelry, its not so they can give it to their girlfriend or mom. Money is what they're after ultimately.
Ideally, a nice quiet neighborhood with no obvious security systems but plenty of obvious wealth would make a prime target, since a burglar isn't looking to steal from people who have nothing to offer them or otherwise lower income residences.
If a burglar is a "pro" at what they do, they just might show up at your doorstep pretending to sell a service or a product in order to find out about you, your home, neighbors, and anything else they can gather before coming back later on to do their dirty deeds.
Burglars Generally Want To Avoid Confrontations, But Sometimes They Don't Care
Meeting up with the property owner is not a high priority for a burglar.
This can only lead to their arrest, and so, it is their goal to avoid such confrontations at all costs. Of course, burglars are generally males and because they're criminals they're not exactly shy. Think of the stereotype of the "bully", and this may well be who we're talking about here, as in someone who is physically intimidating. In any case, you don't see too many burglars caught by police who are snivelling wimps. Most have been in an altercation or two, being criminals and all.
Its worth remembering that not all break-and-enter situations involve burglars - some involve psychopaths - and so, as a property owner, you can't assume that the intruder is always trying to tiptoe around and avoid you. It is up to you how to deal with an intruder, but, like we said in the beginning, an altercation with someone - even in your own home - can result in YOU getting charged.
Watch this video that shows how a man broke into a home and was asked to leave at gunpoint by the home owner - now that's restraint!
What Do Burglars Want?
Keep in mind that burglars are looking for things that they can easily take, such as cash, jewelry, and portable technology that they can sell as quickly as possible with no questions asked. What they probably don't want is your furniture, your appliances, your lawnmower, or your comic book collection (well, maybe that really old Batman comic you have).
Therefore, when it comes to things like watches, jewelry, and anything that is quite obviously very valuable, it is always a good idea to use a high security safe to lock it up, and make sure that you don't leave cash out in the open, where an intruder might walk in and see it, grab it, and run.
Steps To Prevention
As a law-abiding citizen who doesn't want to be burglarized, keep all doors and windows locked when you're not home or at night.
Remember that if you are away from home and you leave a window unlocked, your insurance policy will not be valid if you are burglarized. Also, if you go away, make sure your neighbours know, and have someone check in on your house every so often.
We have several articles on this website meant to serve as solutions to the problem of burglary. Here are some of our most popular below:
11 Tips To Secure Your Home & Property From Burglars
8 Burglary & Home Invasion Stats That Every Homeowner Should Know
Best Locations For Home Security Cameras
How To Burglar Proof Your Windows
If you ever see any strange behaviors happening in your neighborhood, report it immediately to your local police.
Above all, a smart home security system can allow you to keep an eye on things when you're not there. It may be worth investing in such a system can prevent a burglary. These systems can include smart cameras, smart locks, smart lights, and other technology which you can control remotely.
Psychological Consequences Of A Burglary
A burglary is a violation of privacy and can easily cause psychological damage, regardless of the extent of damage to the home and the value of the stolen items. Even if someone were to break into your home and take something from your kitchen counter, its really no less unnerving than if they took more.
Among the consequences of a break-in, we can identify anxiety as a huge repercussion, as well as the inability to sleep, or the paranoid fear of it happening again. Also there is depression or compulsive desire to move to a new location. And these are not even the worst things that can happen. Watch the video below and you can see how a burglary can easily lead to tragic and terrible consequences!
To Conclude…
No, burglars are not nice people. They lack empathy and they will ruin your life without thinking much of it. They may be just a tiny minority of our society, but they are out there and we must defend against them.
It is worth noting that most burglars are not out there robbing people just for fun. It is usually based on desperation of some kind that drives them to do it, and that of course makes them frightening for most people to encounter. That said, understanding them is not too difficult. They have a limited number of strategies behind their actions, and understanding those strategies will make your home 99.9% safer. We hope this article will lead to your home being a more secure place in the future, if it isn't already.
Our site is dedicated to keeping homes secure. We've reviewed a ton of products that can add security to your home, and we generally just live to talk about security, so read as much as you like and feel free to look around!
Oh, one more thing. We found this interesting video collaboration which is part of a rehabilitation program which asks convicted burglars about their crimes, and interviews inmates who have agreed to point out weak spots in homes and residences. If you have 20 minutes, this video from the Ohio Correctional Institute is very informative.
