How Burglars Identify Easy Targets in Residential Streets

Introducing

Most of the time, burglars entering homes are not well-organized criminals but rather individuals who find the right opportunity. A lot of the time, homeowners think that thieves making a break-in are randomly picking houses. However, criminals actually scour a location for particular clues that indicate an easy, less risky access to a house and the possibility of escape without being caught.

Learning about a burglar’s way of spotting a few houses as candidates will enable the homeowner to make the needed changes in their security system and so make their homes more secure. After pinpointing the signs that might lure a criminal the residents can then take comfort and safety measures to make their homes less attractive to the casual thieves who would come to their door if the opportunity arose.

How Come Burglars Focus on Easy-to-Get-At Homes?

Many burglars weigh what they risk against what they stand to gain and their goal, in this case, is to come out with the most total value. Generally, their target is the residence where they can break in quickly, have access to valuable items, and have minimum chances of running into a confrontational situation or even being noticed. Thus, instead of concentrating their efforts on properties that are well protected, a good number of criminals, consider the houses that reveal through their condition, location or way of maintaining that they are susceptible.

Due to the fact that the easier it is to get into a property the more tempting it is to a potential burglar who doesn’t want to waste time on the scene, the focus of such individuals is most of the time on houses revealing several vulnerabilities.

1. Homes That Look Vacant

It is a common tactic of burglars to identify homes that give the impression of being empty for a long duration.

The following signs are usually noticeable:

• Full mailboxes
• Having parcels piled up on the front door
• Extra copies of newspapers coming through the letterbox
• Leftover closure of curtains for several days
• Symptoms of the lack of vehicle movement
• Completely dark homes after the sun sets

Off-hand, a vacant house seems like a place where the chances of running into a resident are minimal and the risk of the house being reported during the break-in is quite low.

 

2. Insufficient Lighting On The Outside

Properties that are poorly lit offer advantages to criminals, as they would be invisible to the eyes of others. Therefore, burglars go for homes where it is difficult to see because the lights do not allow the doors and windows to be illuminated.

Most Commonly Checked Areas:

• Front doors
• Walkways on the sides
• Rear yards
• Garages
• Driveways

The use of light fixtures with motion detectors can play a significant role in raising awareness levels of any suspicious presence and prevent anyone from lingering around the property undetected.

 

3. Untended Landscaping

Hiding places may be created if the bushes or gardens with large plants are left unattended to, and intruders can use these locations to check up on or gain entry to a house.

Security Concerns:

• Shrubs blocking windows
• Trees preventing seeing from the street
• Tall hedges close to doors
• A fallen state of the yard implies absence

Regular yard work and planting not only eliminate spots that can be used for concealment but at the same time make the location more visually attractive.

 

4. Expensive Items On Display Through The Windows

It is quite normal for burglars to perform ransacking by the eyes first to find the best place for a break-in. Displaying luxury goods right in front of windows can send a message that the house is a good target.

Most Frequently Targeted Items:

• Oversized TVs
• Consoles for games
• PCs and laptops
• Jewelry
• Electronic gadgets at the top of the range
• Designer purses and watches

Attempting to keep valuable items away from visibility through windows minimizes the chances of burglars being tempted and cut off the information that they can base to make a target choice.

 

5. Weak or Outdated Security Measures

As a rule, criminals gauge the difficulty of entering a property before deciding to break in.

The signs burglars rely on are:

• Old door locks that could easily be unlocked or broken
• Broken window frames which can be easily removed
• An unlocked or unsecured sliding door
• Absence of alarm systems
• No security cameras

For most burglars, high quality security measures serve as a deterrent and will prompt them to look for an easier target.

 

6. Predictable Daily Routines

When burglars watch over a neighborhood, they are mostly trying to find out the residents’ habits.

Some things they may discover are:

• Taking off at the same time every day
• Going to work on a schedule that doesn’t change
• Vacationing at the same time every year
• Leaving homes empty during school or work hours

Criminals can pinpoint when a property is most probably vacant based on the residents’ habitual lifestyles.

 

7. Easy Access Points

Properties that are easy to break into will usually catch a burglar’s eye.

Access points that are commonly taken advantage of:

• Doors that are unlocked
• Windows that are either open or unlocked
• Side doors of garages
• Basement windows
• Back entrances that are hidden from the street

Most burglaries are not the result of forcibly breaking in, but rather the exploitation of unlocked and poorly secured doors and windows.

 

8. Lack of Neighborhood Activity

Neighborhoods with high levels of activity and interaction act as a deterrent by creating a natural watchdog presence that burglars want to avoid.

Criminals, in general, will not target streets where:

• Residents are frequently out walking
• Almost everyone knows each other in the neighborhood
• The community has a neighborhood watch program in place
• Physical outdoor activities are a regular occurrence

With greater evidence of community involvement, there will be a greater chance that if someone notices suspicious activity, they will notify the authorities.

 

9. Social Media Oversharing

Today’s burglars are constantly trying to make use of the information that people leave on their social media accounts.

Speaking in public about:

• Going on vacation
• Taking a trip over the weekend
• Business trips
• Staying away for long periods of time

may inadvertently be interpreted as a sign that the property will be unoccupied.

Ensuring that posting real-time locations on one’s social media becomes limited is a good precaution to take for one’s household.

10. How to Know When a Property Has Been Neglected

If a house has been neglected it can give out a signal that the owners are not around or maybe they don’t care.

Here are some signs:

• Fence is broken
• Gates are in bad condition
• Windows are not fixed
• Paint is coming off in large flakes
• Not taking care of the yard properly

A house that is maintained properly living there regularly and maybe quite careful about security.

 

How to Make Your Home Less Attractive to Burglars

One of the best ways for homeowners to lower the likelihood of their homes being broken into is changing a few things around the house.

Making a home less attractive to burglars largely comes down to changes in physical security. For one thing, installing top quality deadbolt locks, strengthening doors and windows, and ensuring that garages and sheds are locked can make it so difficult that the burglars may give up.

Equally important is working on making the property more visible not just to discourage but to catch the intruders. Motion-sensor lighting, cutting back the hedges, and having clear lines of sight not only get rid of places where a burglar could hide but also increase the likelihood that suspicious behavior is noticed.

Another way to discourage would-be burglars is to give the impression that the occupants are present even if they are not. Smart lighting timers, asking your neighbors to pick up your mail, and having deliveries held can make it seem like your house is not empty even when it actually is.

Besides all these methods, security technology has come a long way so you can consider investing in it now. Security cameras, video doorbells, alarm systems, and other smart home monitoring equipment are great options to consider if you want to be alerted to the presence of a burglar and scare them off before they get in.

Being aware of your community and your neighbors goes a long way in contributing to the overall safety of the area. Besides just getting to know your neighbors, joining neighborhood watch programs and reporting suspicious activities immediately helps make the environment one where everyone feels safer most of the time.

Conclusion

In general, burglars target those homes that they could enter with minimum effort, are not occupied at the time and changes of alarm or of them being noticed are very low. It would also depend on the factors such as absence of lighting, exposed valuable resources, lack of security and monotonous schedule that make a house more attractive for an opportunistic burglar.

The good news is that a homeowner can greatly lessen a possibility of the crime by learning about usual methods of targeting and by carrying out security measures in advance. A tidy, well-illuminated, and secured house that is clearly visible gives out a very strong signal that breaking in will be an extremely difficult task and usually results in a burglar looking for the next target.