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- Around 60 percent of burglars used forcible entry to gain access to a home. A surprising 30 percent entered home through an unlocked door, window or other opening without resorting to force.
- A study by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology found that most burglars try to determine if a house has an alarm system before attempting a home invasion. Other research substantiates these findings. In fact, an overwhelming majority of convicted burglars say that they intentionally avoided homes with security systems. If an alarm sounded, they admitted to fleeing the home immediately.
- About 33 percent of intruders enter a home through the front door. Hollow doors are exceptionally easy to kick in. If your home is outfitted with an old wood door or one that’s hollow, replace it with a new solid wood or metal clad door. Then every time you enter or exit your home, arm your home security system. It isn’t a bad idea to fortify your home’s entrances with security cameras and motion lighting.
- You may want to explore the benefits of a wireless home security system. That’s because roughly 25 percent of burglars reported cutting telephone or alarm wires before they broke into the home. A wireless home security system is less vulnerable because there are no wires to be cut. Wireless technology is offered by a number of leading home security companies, and it’s more affordable than you might think.
- Beware: It isn’t uncommon for a burglar to invade a home more than once. After all, they already know the layout of the house and have discovered where the “goodies” are kept. If you’re the victim of a break-in, get a home security ASAP to deter the bad guys from returning.
- According to the FBI, the average dollar loss per burglary in the U.S. is $2,185. That amount far exceeds the cost of a basic home security system, and doesn’t include the emotional damage a break-in inflicts on your family. Plus, many insurance companies offer discounts on your homeowner’s policy when you have a home security system installed. When you couple the victim’s losses with criminal justice expenditures, a typical home invasion is estimated to cost nearly $20,000.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report states that a household member was home in approximately 28 percent of burglaries. Alarmingly, a household member suffered some form of violence in seven percent of burglaries.
- Unfortunately, burglaries are infamously hard to solve. On average, only about 13 percent of burglaries are cleared by police, and recovering victim’s property is even less likely to happen.
