Having spent 30 years in Public Safety divisions of major telecom carriers, I’ve had the opportunity to direct and manage development of a number of property crime prevention applications.   Today I’m cutting through speculative ideas about the nature of home break-ins to give you current facts not only about trends, but about how you can make your home resistant to burglary. 

Let’s start with what we know about who is likely to break into your home:

• 85% of burglaries are committed by amateurs, often done by someone who is desperate.
• 50% of burglars live less than two miles away from the home they want to steal from.
•  Thieves are mostly male and typically under the age of 25.
•  Thieves are not planners.    Only 12% of all burglaries are plotted in advance.

And who are thieves most likely to target:

• Social media posters: 41% of victimized homeowners aged 18 to 34 years posted photos and updates on social media while they were on vacation.
• Students are often targeted for their collections of electronic equipment.
• Renters are 50% more likely to be burglarized.
• The elderly are also a frequent target.

What are the properties thieves consider as easy marks:

• Suburban homes have a 50% higher chance of being burglarized.
• If your house has already been hit, 51% of burglarized homes are targeted again within 6 weeks.
• Rental properties have a more than 50% chance of break in.
• Homes without security systems have a 300% greater chance of being burgled.

Given the stats, it is clear that investing in home security is a wise decision.  Tim Howell of Secure View, LLC has provided some key points to consider when choosing a security system.

For the Do-It-Yourselfer

Pro:

• I can install it myself
• It can be less expensive
• A low or no monthly cost

Con:

• You are then responsible for installing the equipment.
• You well be responsible for the maintenance
• You are responsible when upgrades are needed
• Your personal information may be released
• System may not be secure as you think
• No Warranty

Professionally Installed:

Pro:

• Expert in the field of Security
• Professional security company assists with maintenance and troubleshooting
• Your personal information is secure
• System is specific to you and secure
• 1-year warranty on most systems

Con:

• Can be more expensive because of higher quality and security?
• Low to medium fee for monitoring?

DYI or Professional installation, know the answer to these:

• What happens to my personal information when I register into the app of my new system?
• How secure or private is the system and my information about the system, i.e., location, type, monitoring info etc.?
• What is the warranty?
• What is the monthly charge and what does it cover?
• Who do I call when I need service on the system?

Whatever your choice of system types, now is the time to think about your home security. 

The FBI gives us four good reasons why:

• There are 2.5 million burglaries annually in the United States.
• A home burglary occurs every 15 seconds in our country.
• The average burglary loss is valued at $2,661.
• Police solve only 13% of reported burglary cases.