So you’ve done everthing you thought you could to keep a burglar out of your home, but somehow it still happened. A burglar is in your home rummaging through your things. Even after someone has broken into your home, you can still have control over what they manage to get when you know what items they are looking for and what you can do to make it a little more difficult for them.
Drug addiction is a major driving factor of property crime. It is highly likely that the burglar is looking for an easy way to get money to feed an addiction. Cash and credit cards are the top priority for burglars. It is easy money without the hassle and risk that comes with stealing items that would need to be sold or pawned. This is why purses, wallets and money come in highest at 18.3%. In order to protect these items, keep them out of sight within your home and your best option is to store them in a place most people wouldn’t think to look.
Next on the list, at 14.7%, is jewelry and watches. Essentially, any small high value item is attractive to a burglar. It can easily be carried out of the home and sold for a good amount of money. Since 75% of convicted burglars admit to going directly to the master bedroom and bathroom to look for valuables, your best line of defense is to keep these stored in another area of the home.
Computers (especially laptops) and equipment come in 10.6%. Like jewelry and watches, computers are also high ticket items. The smaller it is, the more likely it is to be stolen. With these and your smaller pieces of electronics like tablets, cell phones, and cameras, which come in at 8.7%, do not keep charging cords with the items or all together on a charging station that is out in the open. A thief is less likely to take electronics if they can’t find the chargers to go with them.
If you notice, the “other” category is almost as high as the money category. This is because it contains items that are the key drivers of these crimes…if a burglar is looking to feed an addiction, it would make sense that they are going to be looking for any drugs you may have in your home. Keep prescriptions (especially those listed below) locked up or, at the very least, out of sight in an unlikely area of the home.
Oxycontin, Xanax, Adderal, Ritalin, Vicodin, Percocet, Valium, Ambien, Promethozine/Codine Syrup, Phenobarbital
Bruglars often also look for any paperwork that might contain your banking information or social security number. These documents will be used or sold to another party for identity theft. The best way to protect this information is to keep all of it in a secure/locked cabinet or safe. Also included in the “other” category are firearms and weapons. Keep these items in a locked safe in order to keep them out of the wrong hands.
In order to increase the odds of having high value items identified and returned to you after a burglary, keep a log with item descriptions and serial numbers. If these items are found or if the burglar attemps to pawn them, this will be your proof of ownership. Having a log is also helpful when you need to make an insurance claim. Click here to find out how you can create a complete home inventory checklist.
Remember, a burglar is only in the home for 8-10 minutes. While that is 8-10 minutes longer than any homeowner is comfortable with, hopefully you can rest a little easier knowing that, by taking these steps, you’ve made it a difficult 10 minutes for someone you don’t want in your home in the first place.
If you want to increase your odds of being able to catch and convict a burglar, come back next week. We will be talking about your options when it comes to home security.
