4 Home Security Statistics You Should Know
While thinking of a potential burglary may be uncomfortable, it’s absolutely necessary. A burglary happens every 15-18 seconds in the United States, but the good news is that you don’t have to be just another victim. The tips in this article will help you get important insights in terms of what makes your home a potential target and how can you protect your personal property.
- Most burglaries happen during daytime
If we asked you to close your eyes and imagine an average home burglary, you’d probably imagine someone dressed all in black, with a mask on and creeping around a house in the night. But you’d be wrong. Most burglaries actually occur during the day because there is hardly anyone home at that point.
Burglars are almost always looking for an easy score, where they don’t have to use destructive ways to gain access like breaking a lock or a window and gain attention from passerby or neighbors in the process. In that sense, an empty house is a perfect target to make their attempt. The good news is that there are now a lot of home security options available on the market that allow you to install a camera inside your home, so you can monitor and keep a track on activities when you are not around.
- A home burglary takes just a few minutes
They’re in and they’re out. If your home has been broken into, the odds are good that the person who did it has been keeping an eye on the place for a little while before they pulled it off.
- 33% of burglars enter through the front door
Hardly surprising as most burglaries happen when someone leaves their front door or windows unlocked. And let’s not forget the role of spare keys here. People tend to hide spare keys in the most obvious places and a seasoned burglar would be knowing most of these places and some more.
Make sure your door and windows are locked each time you step out, irrespective for how long you would be gone. And as for spare keys, either leave them with a trusted neighbor or install a digital or smart lock that doesn’t need any key to operate. With these locks, you can easily give your friend, families and other people access even from remote. Rekeying your locks from time to time is another good security practice to make sure the spare keys, which may have fallen into wrong hands, are not functional anymore.
Sometimes, a poor-quality front door and locks are the culprits too. Make sure your front door is made up of robust material, strong enough to withstand force. It is also important to periodically check the status of your front door locks. Old, damaged locks are easy to break. If you have any concerns about this, reach out to your local locksmith right away to replace locks with a heavy-duty deadbolt. You can also invest in a digital peephole camera to ensure you are opening the door to people you know and trust. Digital viewers are easy to install and don’t cost a bomb.
Racine’s Lock & Key offers a wide range of residential locksmith services and help you with rekeying, lock replacement or lock installation. Contact us for more information.
- A very small percentage of home burglaries are ever resolved
The odds of being caught are extremely low. One of the most important reason is that most of the doors can be used by using ‘lock bumping’ technique, which won’t leave any sign of break-in or forced entry. This also means that insurance companies are likely to reject your claim without any supporting evidence that your home was actually broken into. The best way to prevent this scenario in the first place is to upgrade to high security locks.
Installing a home security system will prevent most theft. Research suggests that thieves are less likely to target homes that are equipped with some kind of security system. However, burglars admit to cutting the line to the alarm system before breaking in. Therefore, installing a system that incorporates a camera system is usually better, as it gives you evidence to turn over to the police in the event that someone gets away.