Defeating The Opportunist Burglar.Who is the Opportunist Burglar?He prefers to break in to homes during the daytime when it is likely that there is nobody at home, much less risk of a confrontation. Best of all he likes homes where a door or window has been left unlocked, or even better, left open. He keeps an eye out for houses with overgrown gardens, or with many trees and tall shrubs. These type of gardens provide him with valuable cover from the eyes of neighbors. Houses that back on to a park, or open land, are favorites with the opportunist burglar, so too are houses with an open alley, or drive, at the side. The opportunist may take interest in houses that are ill kept and not as well maintained as neighboring houses. He will not take this as a sign that there is nothing inside worth stealing but as an indication that the owner will be unlikely to have spent out on alarms and other security measures.
The opportunist burglar usually does not posses many housebreaking skills, he prefers everything made easy for him. He does not like to break windows unless he is sure that there is nobody within hearing distance, he will look for windows that are unsecured or are secured with a flimsy latch that he can easily slip. The opportunist will force doors that have flimsy locks, he usually makes noise when doing this so again he prefers no one around, but best of all he likes unlocked doors. He loves ladders and tools left laying around, he will take the opportunity to use these to break in to your home or your neighbor's home. He also likes to see items of value through the window, this lets him know that it will be worth burglarizing your home. He looks out for houses with mail or newspapers have been left to pile up or other signs that the family may be away on vacation. He may do $2000 worth of damage to steal $200 worth of your items, he may sell these items for just $20, or less, he doesn't care. All he care about is getting his fix. He will ring your door chime with a ready prepared story should someone answer. If no body answers he will listen for signs of occupancy and if he hears none he will look for the easy way into your home. What the Opportunist Burglar Doesn't Like.He does not like watch dogs or beware of the dog signs, neither does he like security cameras, fake or real, or security decals. He does not like neighborhoods with an active neighborhood watch, he does not like properly secured and well maintained properties. The opportunistic burglar does not like alarm systems. These things may make him look for some other home to burgle.
He may not fit an exact profile. Instead of working alone the opportunist burglar may operate with an accomplice or two. Instead of operating on foot, he may spend some time cruising around a neighborhood selecting homes that appear to be easy targets. Although he commits most of his crimes during daylight hours, he may strike on dark winter evenings before commuters return home from work. He does not like confrontation so does not plan on violence. However, if unexpectedly disturbed during the course of his crimes he may panic and use force. He may burgle more than one house in a neighborhood, particularly if they are built to the same plan. Successfully breaking in to one house means that he knows the layout, so similar houses will cost him less time and less risk. The opportunist burglar will often return to a property he has burgled before, he knows the property, knows the security and knows what he is likely to find inside. He may wait it out a while giving the homeowner the time to replace the things he stole before. The Opportunistic Burglar is the Easiest to Defeat.Statistically your home is more likely to be broken into by an opportunist than any other type of burglar. Thankfully opportunity theft is the easiest to guard against. Because the opportunistic burglar does not possess many housebreaking skills, and likes to spend as little time as he can breaking in to a home, even basic home security measures will likely cause him to give your home a miss. Always ensure that all doors and windows are locked when you leave your home, even if it is just for a moment. Make sure that your external doors are robust, in good condition and are fitted with quality locks. If you have an alarm system set it when you leave. Join your local neighborhood watch. Take the simple home security precautions outlined on this page - don't let your home be the easy target that the opportunist burglar is looking for. © copyright surveillanceforsecurity.com If your home is not protected by an alarm system, or areas of your home are not covered by the system, you can solve that problem with wireless motion detectors. Good home perimeter security foils the burglar in many ways. It makes it harder for him to burgle your home, slows him down and makes it more likely that he will be observed. Anyone who studies self defense technique will find they gain an increase in self confidence. So, not only are they able to defend themselves they are less likely to be attacked.
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