The Home Burglar - Who are they and what do they want?

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After reading about a couple of recent home burglaries and moving into a new place, I asked myself-how can I protect myself and my belongings?  Luckily for me, I've moved myself out of West Baltimore (In case you don't know, West Baltimore doesn't have the safest of reputations.  And don't ask why I lived there to begin with, I will be unable to answer that question for you) and into a much safer neighborhood.  However, that doesn't alleviate the worries of being targeted by a criminal.

In order to better prepare myself, I wanted to learn about burglars themselves and their possible motives.  Most burglars are males under the age of 25.  According to the FBI crime statistics 2,199,125 burglaries took place in 2009 (complete 2010 data has still not been released).  These burglaries accounted for 23.6% of the estimated property crimes committed in 2009.  The other property crimes included in the study are larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

When reading about statistics and burglaries, keep in mind that a burglary is classified as gaining entry into a home to commit theft or felony.  A burglar is a person that enters your home and steals something from you.  If the burglar were to enter your home, run into you in the process and use force against you, then it would be categorized as a robbery - a completely different crime statistic.  A burglar is a property crime and a robbery is a violent crime.  Thankfully, I've learned that most burglars are looking for vacant or uninhabited homes (about 17% of the 408,217 robberies in 2009 occurred in a place of residence).

Burglaries, robberies and statistics aside, I next wanted to learn how to 'burglar proof' my house.  There are dozens of websites that explain how to protect yourself.  Here are a couple of tips I thought were especially helpful.

Image Source: Washington Post

Review your house.  Ask yourself -- how easy would it be for you to get into your house if you were locked out?  Burglars tend to think the same way.  As a kid, my siblings and I would use a couple of different tactics to enter our house when we forgot our keys.  We tried hiding spare keys under the rug, 'credit carding' our way into our house and popping off screens to unlocked windows.  When my parents caught wind of this, they weren't very happy and found different, safer alternatives for us.  They removed all keys that were hidden outside, instead they left a spare key with the neighbors next door.  They made sure that all doors were dead bolted (about 34% of break-ins occur at the front door) and that all windows were secured (about 23% of break-ins occur on a first floor window).  If we were locked out, we would go to a designated neighbors house.  If you have sliding glass doors or windows, place a sturdy bar or piece of wood at the bottom to prevent the door/window from sliding, even if it is unlocked.

Check your windows -- from the outside.  Look in all windows, see anything valuable?  You may want to rethink what you keep in plain view to the outside world.  Install blinds or remove your stereo system from the front window.

Meet your neighbors.  Sometimes your neighbors are your best security.  They are a set of eyes who knows what is and isn't normal around your neighborhood.  Weird car at your neighbor's house in the middle of the day?  Call the police.  Most likely, it's an uninvited guest.

Install some sort of security system.  There are plenty of security agencies out there looking to help.  Google is a good start for your search.  You may be thinking 'I don't have the money to spend on installing a security system'.  No worries, I've listed some other alternatives.


Buy a sign.  'Beware of Dog'  'This home is protected by ... security company'  Signs like these will be sure to make a burglar think twice.

A tad bit sarcastic, but you get the point.

Buy or adopt a dog.  Most dogs make some sort of noise when they hear something out of the ordinary.  Most of the time an unexpected noise, or a growling dog, is enough to scare a burglar away.

Censor your trash.  If a burglar sees a 32" Plasma Screen TV box in your trash, they now know what kind of TV you have and how big it is.  Make sure to hide or disguise what you throw away.  Burglars may be criminals, but they may not necessarily be stupid.

Take care of the outside of your house.  Poorly lit areas?  Install lights--motion sensor or time activated.  Overgrown shrubbery?  Get rid of it, overgrown bushes are great places for a burglar to hide.  A well lit house and trimmed shrubbery will put off a message that you care about and watch over your home.

Sill unsure if your house is safe?  Contact your local police department.  That's what I did after I moved in.  It seemed a bit intimidating at first, but the officer had the right knowledge to help me better safeguard my house and my belongings.  He was also more than willing to help.

Sign up for your local crime alert.  Become aware of what happens in your area.  Know your neighborhood.  And stay safe!