Why Did I Get Burgled? - Why Did the Burglar Pick My Home?

by Martin Underwood

“Why did I get burgled? Why did the burglar pick my home, why not somebody else's?

After all, I work hard, I pay my taxes and I'm honest Joe citizen. Why did that no good thief have to pick my home?”

The thief picked out your home because it was your home that looked the most attractive to him, not the home of your neighbor, not the home of the guy down your street, but your home.

Come on, let's us go and take a look around your home through the eyes of a burglar maybe then you will see why the housebreaker found it so attractive a proposition.

Looking at the front of your house what's the first thing that we notice? All those bushes and trees in your garden, those bushes should be either removed or trimmed right down as they are they are providing too much shadow and cover, burglars don't like to be seen so they love cover. And that large tree right by your window needs to go, with that tree as cover a housebreaker could work on your window with little chance of being spied by your neighbors or passers by.

Talking of your windows, you really should not be depending on those flimsy latches, they won’t give a housebreaker much of a problem at all. Fit good quality key operated window locks and remember to always remove the key when you lock them and lock them each and every time that you go out.

The more visible a window lock is the better protection it gives you. With good window locks a thief will have to smash the glass to get in, and make a noise doing so, burglars avoid making noise as it attracts unwanted attention to their activities. Also broken glass can mean cuts for the thief and that can result in him leaving forensic evidence.

Through your window we can see your plasma TV, your stereo system and many other goodies. Just by a quick glance in your window a thief will know that you have plenty of stuff worth stealing, it would be worth the risk to break in to your home. It will require some planning but with a little thought you can arrange your rooms so that there is little on show to tempt a burglar.

What else can we see? You have a flat roof garage attached to your house and you have left a window open just above the garage, now that's nothing but an open invitation to a passing opportunist burglar.

You can do a lot to prevent thieves from climbing up on to your flat roof garage with a coating of anti-burglar paint applied around the top edge and the edge of the garage roof.

Let's take a look around the side of your house. It’s a little dark and gloomy here, do you really need such a high fence between you and your neighbor? A fence that is lower would allow your neighbor keep a watch on your home and also help you keep an eye on your neighbor's home. Installing motion sensitive security lighting would be a good security measure here too.

What's this? Your triple extension ladder left out here for the thief to make use of! You were planning to fix up your guttering but didn't get around to it yet so you left your ladder lying around. Talk about making the burglar's job easy, and you were asking why the housebreaker picked you! That ladder should be locked away in your garage or shed when it is not being used.

And talking of your shed let's take a look at it. Unlocked! You've a good quality padlock and a correctly fitted hasp, which is good, but you have left it unlocked.

There is a lot in your shed that would interest a burglar, all of your tools and equipment, a thief could snag himself a welcome paycheck by selling your tools on, just think what it would cost you to replace them all. Not only that but why give a thief easy access to a selection of tools he could make use of to bust his way into your home? Keep your shed securely locked!

Shall we take a good look at the door through to your kitchen. This door is not going to provide much of a barrier to a burglar, all your exterior doors should be made of solid core construction and have high quality deadbolt locks fitted. Deadbolt locks can withstand the attentions of a housebreaker that regular spring latch locks can't.

Okay, we haven't even talked about home security alarm systems or surveillance cameras, and you are already beginning to see why it was that the burglar picked on your home.

As a homeowner you should do all that you can to make the burglar perceive your home as being too risky to break into compared to alternative targets. Burglars do not like spending much time breaking in, they don't like making noise and they certainly don't like to be seen.

Are you a member of Neighborhood watch? No, I didn't think you would be and you should be. Join it, there is no better home security than neighbor looking after neighbor. If there is no Neighborhood watch in your area - start one, your local police station will give you all the help you need.

It's a simple thing, make your home as unattractive as possible to a burglar and he will look for an easier target to pick on.

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