How To Discourage Burglars Tip Sheet

No one is immune to burglaries. More than two million Americans a year are victims of this crime and the number continues to grow. The tougher the times, the harder burglars work to make ends meet. Every 10 seconds a burglar breaks into a home, apartment or condominium. But you can minimize the risk of burglaries by paying attention to the signals the burglar looks for. Eliminate the inviting signs and you reduce the chance that your home will be invaded. Here are some basics to follow:

  1. Never leave windows open or doors unlocked when you are away from home. A professional burglar can be in and out of a home in under 10 minutes--as long as it takes you to “run to the store.” Open doors and windows are an open invitation. In 70% of cases, burglars enter through an open door or window.

  2. Don’t leave a spare key outside. A key under the mat or planter or on top of the door frame practically invites a burglar inside. If you must hide a front door key, conceal it in the back yard in an unlikely spot. Insurance companies are not very cooperative about compensating you for a theft in which you provided the key. The best thing to do with a spare key is to leave it with your neighbor.

  3. Take extra precautions to secure windows. A burglar cannot open a double hinged window from the outside when a nail or pin is inserted through the inside frame. Just drill a downward slanting hole through both frames where the frames overlap. Slip a nail or pin into the hole.

    In order to discourage a burglar from lifting a sliding door out of its track, put a dowel or an old broomstick in the door track.

  4. Pay careful attention to doors. Even though many Americans hate to do it, doors should be locked. And not just when you are gone or asleep. Some crime prevention experts advise that doors be locked when you are moving around inside your home. Not all burglars work at night.

    When adding locks to doors, be certain a burglar can’t reach it by putting his arm through a broken window. Some locks are very easy to unlock. Spring locks, with the keyhole in the doorknob, are easy to jimmy. It’s better to use a deadbolt lock with a one-inch throw, a 5- or 6-pin tumbler cylinder and a cylinder guard ring.

    Make sure all doors, especially back and side doors, are kick-proof. They should be constructed of solid wood or metal.

  5. Take extra precautions if you are away all day. Most burglaries occur during the day when occupants are not home. So, there are some things you can do to discourage a burglar from entering. Don’t give him privacy with overgrown trees, bushes and shrubs. Trim them back so any suspicious activity can be seen from the street or sidewalk. Try to make it sound as if someone is home. Turn on the TV, a stereo or a radio talk show before you leave.

  6. Lights make the difference at night. Turning on a few lights when you go out is not a very meaningful deterrent to crime. No one lives in a dimly lit house and burglars know this. The best bet is to install an automatic timer that turns lights, radios and TVs on and off in a lifelike pattern. Most people use timers for vacations, but it is just as important to set them during your regular nights out.

  7. Vacations take planning, especially when it comes to discouraging a burglar. The best way to deal with home security in your absence is to make it appear that you’re at home. Stop all deliveries and newspapers, ask the Post Office to hold your mail and have a neighbor pick up whatever winds up in your mailbox or on your doorstep.

    Ask a neighbor to come in and rearrange the drapes and window shades and reschedule the automatic timer.

    Have the grass cut or snow removed. Snow piled up at your front door or an unkept lawn is an open invitation to a burglar.

  8. Marking high-risk items can be both a deterrent and a means of recovery. Engrave your driver’s license number on TVs, stereos, cameras, etc. with an engraving tool often available through the local police department.

  9. If you happen to wake up or come home to find a burglar present, don’t try to stop him from stealing and don’t panic. The sooner he gets what he wants, the sooner he will leave.

  10. Get a safety deposit box and use it, especially to store valuables while you’re on vacation.

  11. Don’t hide valuables in one location. Disperse them throughout the house.

  12. Consider getting a dog--one that loves to bark at strangers. The dog doesn’t have to be big to be effective. A noisy little dog can be a big deterrent to crime.

  13. Of course, consider adding a burglar alarm system. But if that’s out of the question right now, use Bluff-a-Burglar decals by Clever Connections. Just apply the official-looking stickers to your doors and windows and let would-be burglars think your home is protected by an alarm system.