Do burglars know their victims?

The risk of becoming a victim of a residential break-in is shockingly high. Police across the country respond to hundreds of these reports every single day. Regardless of the city, neighbourhood or season, everyone has a disturbingly large probability of returning home to a ransacked house. There are numerous guides on how to secure a property, including tips on locks, lighting and alarm systems. However, most fail to take into consideration a little-known fact about these crimes. A perpetrator just might know their victim. It sounds inconceivable but in reality, almost 66% of burglars targeted someone familiar to them.

How is this possible? Unlike in blockbuster movies, these types of crimes are not overly sophisticated and do not require a significant amount of skill. Additionally, most burglars spend as little time as possible, less than 15 minutes in most cases, to complete their robbery. Their speed is helped if they are already familiar with the home.

A family doesn’t have to mix with a group of hardened criminals to become a victim. In fact, the majority of offenses take place during the middle of the day, when it is most likely that a home will be empty. This reduces the likelihood that a burglar will stumble upon any residents. Still, a certain amount of reconnaissance is needed to ensure that the property has no stay-at-home mom, daily gardener, visiting relative, or other person that could interrupt the crime. Because lurking in an unknown neighbourhood could attract attention, most thieves actually live very close to their targets.  

Some robberies are crimes of opportunity, meaning the crook noticed an easy access to the home and decided to act. For this reason, it’s important to properly secure doors and refrain from bragging about big ticket purchases on social media. In fact, some home security experts specifically warn about the dangers of a jealous neighbour.

Drug addiction is also a growing problem in a multitude of areas across the country. This affliction can cause desperation and lead a struggling family member to target their own social circle in an attempt to make a quick buck. This type of burglar is most likely to snatch money, smartphones and other items that can be easily sold for cash.

Just because a thief may be acquainted with their victims, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are a close friend or family member. Any hired handyman or recent technician who had access to the property should be high on the suspect list following a break-in. These individuals were able to spend time in and around the house and learn the location of valuables, the quality of security and the general layout. Such information can make it easy for the person to return with a more sinister motive.

Teenage kids may unwittingly bring a future burglar into the house. Though they are less likely to do real damage, young men are common perpetrators of smaller property crimes. Because they are less cautious than more experienced criminals, they may impulsively return to a friend’s home with the sole intention of grabbing an item they admired earlier.

A lot of our customers contact us after their home has been broken into or when things go missing, we urge you to be proactive and prevent a burglary from happening in the first place, get an AG Monitored security system in Toronto today! Call Alarm Guard at 1844-299-3753