According to her research, an overwhelming majority of burglars enter homes through the doors and windows. Thirty-four percent use the front door, while 22 percent get in through the back door. Twenty-three percent use first-floor windows. And oftentimes, those doors and windows aren't even locked.
Unlocked windows and doors, open windows, doggy doors, and open garages are all signs a home may be easy to enter. Hidden keys near the front or back doors that are easy to find (under door mats or rocks, for example) also make homes easy to burglarize.
Knowing when most burglaries occur is powerful information. The most common times for break-ins occur between 10 am and 3 pm. Rather than being guarded by night, most burglars choose the daytime to attempt a break-in, targeting homes when they believe no one will be present.
7 & 8) Two Story Homes & Apartments on High Floors
They usually stick to jewelry and cash, items that they can easily carry. For this reason, burglars usually avoid two story homes, since these items will more than likely be upstairs in the master bedroom and burglars like to minimize the time they stay in a home.
Do security lights deter burglars? Yes, they can. Light makes it hard for them to conceal their identity, so they are more likely to find a darker home.
Shockingly, 85% of burglars will know their victims.
According to home break-ins statistics, it's far more likely that the person knows you.
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.
The four main ways a burglar will choose their job include the following: Look for vulnerable folks (elderly, those living alone, easy targets, etc.) Opportunistic (very little forethought or planning) Desirability of property (smarter criminals)
Stay silent
Get your phone and call the police. If you have a panic button, use it, as silently as possible. "If you live with a flat mate, try to alert the other person silently. If you can't call the police, text someone like your complex security or someone who you know you can rely on.
Unfortunately, there are no exact statistics about how often do burglars get into a house (or condo) by breaking the window. Experience shows, however, that in about 5-15 percent of the cases where criminals entered a house through a window, they did so by breaking the glass.
Tactic: Most burglars like to operate without forced entry. More than 60% of thieves come through unlocked doors and windows. Two thirds of break in entries are through the front or back door, or a ground floor window.
Unfortunately, after one “successful” burglary, intruders are likely to come back and target the same home again. Some studies show that only 1.2% of burgled residences experienced 29% of all burglaries. Repeat burglaries also often occur quickly after the first one—25% within one week and 51% within one month.
Fortunately, unlike movies, most burglars are looking to steal your belongings, not harm you. It's still pretty terrifying, though, to wake up in the middle of the night and realize someone else is in your house—and one can't exactly read a burglar's mind or know his or her intentions.
Burglars will frequently walk up and knock on the front door to see if someone is home, giving an excuse – asking for directions, have you seen my dog?, oops wrong house – whenever someone answers it. Mild vandalism like a rock through a side window.
What are the odds of your house being burgled? The FBI crime report expects one in every 36 homes in the US to experience a burglary.
Most Burglars Admit Alarm Systems Deter Them
In a University of North Carolina at Charlotte study that surveyed 422 convicted burglars, 83% of burglars admitted they check homes for alarms before breaking in. 60% of the burglars claimed an alarm would change their minds.
It all depends on the individual. A less experienced thief may be happy with his pickings and too paranoid to return. On the other hand, the seasoned professional is confident he won't be caught, so he strikes again.
Burglars often scope out a home, or 'window shop', before robbing it – they look at the entry and exit points and see if there are any valuables on display. Shielding your house with a tall fence will minimise that risk and may prevent a potential break-in.
Not only is having a bunch of flyers or stickers stuck in your door a nuisance, it can also serve as a way for burglars to mark your home. Many burglars will stick flyers or stickers on homes that they think are unoccupied to serve as an indicator for their accomplices that the home is unguarded.