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Home security commercials make it a regular practice to depict burglaries taking place during the nighttime hours. They show images of scary-looking burglars, dressed in all black, forcing a door open with a crowbar. While the depictions make for good television, the reality is that most burglaries occur during the daylight hours.
That might seem counterintuitive given the fact that burglars are more easily seen during the day. But the explanation is rather simple. Crime statistics demonstrate that 72% of all home burglaries occur when nobody is home. And when are people the least likely to be home? During normal work hours from Monday to Friday.
Entire Neighborhoods Can Be Empty
The prevalence of dual-income households suggests a frightening reality: entire neighborhoods can be empty during daylight hours. With both parents working and the children away at school, houses are left unoccupied for long stretches of time. It is a burglar’s dream come true.
Burglary is a crime of opportunity. Burglars look for targets that offer the most opportunity in the least amount of time. That means finding empty houses with enough valuables to make the crime worthwhile. Subsequently, it also means targeting suburban neighborhoods during the daylight hours of a normal work week.
Does this suggest that burglars will not enter an occupied home? Absolutely not. Some of the most determined won’t be deterred by residents. As for the rest, even a burglar normally unwilling to hit an occupied home might make a mistake and find himself surprised by a homeowner standing on the other side of the door.
Protecting Against Nighttime Burglaries Is Fine
The fact that most burglaries occurred during daylight hours doesn’t mean homeowners should ignore the possibility of a nighttime burglary. Protecting against nighttime burglaries is both fine and warranted. But homeowners should pay equal attention to their daytime risks.
Preventing burglary is all about implementing those tips you have heard your entire life. The tips include:
- Keeping windows and doors locked, even when home.
- Making it obvious that your home is occupied.
- Creating the illusion you are home, even when you’re not.
- Not advertising your possessions, your whereabouts, etc.
- Installing things like deadbolt locks and security glass.
Security providers like Vivint recommend electronic security systems complete with video cameras, motion sensors, window and door sensors, and remote monitoring. A security system acts as both a deterrent and an early warning system.
Understand Your Vulnerabilities First
Hardening your home against burglary starts with understanding your vulnerabilities. It’s one thing to understand that you’re more likely to be burglarized during the day. It is another thing to understand what makes your house attractive to burglars.
If the front door of your home is not clearly visible from the street, you are making things more attractive by giving burglars cover. If you don’t always keep your doors locked, you are opening yourself to the possibility that a burglar passing through the neighborhood and checking door handles will let himself into your home.
There is no foolproof way to prevent burglary. A truly determined burglar will do what he wants. But you can greatly reduce your risks by making things as hard as possible. Burglars willing to pull out all the stops to break in are in the minority. Most will give up if they run into enough roadblocks.
If you have never made any effort to harden your home against burglary, start by addressing the potential for daytime burglaries. Figure out how a burglar would take advantage of you and then come up with strategies to fight back. That’s how you beat them.
