Burglars
Interesting post I actually have some knowledge on. I figured I would share some stuff I have learned over the years to help who ever is interested. The truth is if a burglar wants in and your not home he/she is getting in. I have seen it thousands of times, I could write a book on it. There is so many tips but Im gonna try and keep it short and simple.
First I estimate 90% of residential burglaries occur between 9:30 am and 6:30pm Why? because most people are not home they are at work or school. Super expensive alarms the best locks money can buy will help but you are always going to be a little vulnerable to a motivated criminal.
About alarms they work like this when a person enters your home usually there is 30 seconds to a minute before the alarm goes off this time is alloted so an autherized person has time to enter the code. After that 30sec to 1 min the alarm goes off some are silent some are audible I believe audible is better. After the alarm triggers the system calls the home base which in turn calls the police then the police dispatcher sends the cops to your home in the best case scenario this sequence of events takes 3-5 minutes, that is plenty of time for a burglar to find the master bedroom and grab a jewelry box.
Some quick tips: In my experience 95% of burglaries wether home or auto are done by oppertunist drug users not pro's.
These tips though simple will tremendously increase your chances of not losing everything. Your best defense is keeping your valubles in odd places in your home not in the jewelry box on top of yourdresser in your bedroom not in the dresser drawer or even in the bathroom. Try keeping them in the kitchen or in a hidden safe like a wall
socket safe or a real safe (Side note A safe is no good if it's not bolted to a floor or wall. If some one can pick it up and walk out with it all you did was make it easier for them).
I'd say in 60% of residential burglaries i've seen only the MBR is hit cause thats where the goods are. The most common items stolen are jewelry, small electronics like Ipods laptops, dvd's, video games, cash
firearms, credit cards and coins.
Not tv's, stereos or million dollar paintings. Items a person can carry out and sell quickly are what is usually taken. Anything in your home that is worth something to you should be photographed and if it has one the serial # written down credit card #s and check books should be locked away. U should keep pics, serial #'s and credit card #'s somewhere off site like your parents house or a safety deposit box In the event your things are stolen Investig
ators have pics of the stolen items and can use them to check pawn shops. Having pics and serial #'s increases the chances of recovery ten fold. Knowing credit card #s makes it easier to identify which ones were taken and to cancel them quickly.
Alarm signs and beware of dog signs do work and could mean the difference between a burglar hitting your place or moving on to an easier target with less possible obstacles.
Alarms work only if they are activated and locks only work if they are locked this applies to vehicles as well.
As far as auto burglary it's pretty simple dont leave valuables in plain site The new thing is GPS systems I would say where I work 2 are stolen from vehicles a day and I am not in a big city, Take it off the window and hide it in the glove box this includes the suction cup leaving the mount up still shows u may have one in the vehicle. Take your ipod, laptop's and for guys your wallets in the house with u if it's not in there they cant take it. Hide your change in the console
"A crack head don't care" if its 3 dollars in quarters they will break your window and scoop it out without a second thought. Your out 3 bucks big deal but then u gotta get a new window.
Tips for protecting your home while on vacation. Leave the radio on and hook one or two lamps up to a alternating timer like the ones on your tank lighting. Voices and lights keep burglars away if they think someone may be there they will move on. Arange for your mail to be held at the post office or for someone to pick it up for you Burglars do look in mail boxes and if they see your mail hasn't been picked up it shows u may not be home. Also Knowing your neighbors is great and if there is 1 u trust tell them u are going to be away so they can keep an eye out for u.
I could go on all day but here is a tip I will leave you with that I know works. It's good if everyone in your home is on the same page or you live alone. Leave a five dollar bill in your home where U can see it as soon as you open the door to your place. Just leave it in a highly visible area like on a table or something, if you come home and that bill is gone and u didnt take it something is wrong and someone may have been in your home or is still in there. Dont enter your house just call the police and let them check it out. No burglar is going to pass up paper money not even a five dollar bill.
I know this was off the original subject but burglaries are highly invasive tramatic events. Victims usually feel violated and no longer safe in there own home after they are victimized. If I can keep one of my fellow aquarium enthusiasts from becoming a victim it was worth the ten minutes it took me to write this.
