The Typical Home Burglar

There is a growing concern that homeowners in the US have and it relates to their home security. Every 18 seconds a home is burglarized in the US and, unfortunately, not everyone has enough to afford the highest tech and quality products and services.  The main aim of this article is to try and help you get started on improving your home’s defenses. We will analyze the profile of a typical home burglar and see what his methods are.

 

So, just how serious is home burglary these days? Well, it is not my intention to get you paranoid, but it is certainly a major concern for any individual or community. In the United States, burglary is a crime that accounts for roughly 25% of all property crimes. This number has increased from 2007 by three percent which isn't very encouraging to say the least.

If you enjoy reading statistics such as this, then allow me to indulge you with a few more interesting facts from a recent report. First of all, the most interesting to me was that most burglaries happen during the day (over 60%) and the most common timeline is between 10 AM and 3 PM. This of course means that our regular idea that most burglaries happen during the evening is false.

How Do Burglars Operate?

Another thing that is not true is our understanding of burglars and their methods. Most people think that thieves and burglars won't spend much time in the house and that they just snatch whatever they can. Sadly, this is not true as they usually have an average of 10 minutes to raid a house. This gives them a lot of time to find the most valuables items in your home as well as cash and jewelry. Nonetheless, their favorite target these days are actually electronic devices, such as mobile phones, TVs and high-tech gadgets.

Statistics from 2007 haven't changed much when it comes to you typical home burglar profile. Thus, in most cases this person is a male in their twenties and they live within a couple of miles from the home that they burglarize. They know the area well, but they don't exactly target their next-door neighbor. Still, they often have several roads via which they can quickly retreat to their own home in case things go bad.

Is there such a thing as a professional thief? Well, yes, but most of the time residential burglaries are carried out by amateurs and chances of getting burglarized by a "professional" are low since in most cases it just isn't worth their time. An interesting fact, right? But all the better for you!

Thieves can gain entry to a typical home via several hotspots. What is disappointing is that in over 30% of robberies this was actually the front door! First floor windows, the garage door and the back door are not too far behind. It really isn't a matter of the thief being "good", its just that most homes have poor defenses against intruders, especially if nobody is home.

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