Nobody knows what deters burglars more than burglars. Here’s what former thieves recommend you do to safeguard your home from break-ins.
Photo by Anne Jacko.
Kyle Iboshi, investigative reporter at KGW News in Portland, Oregon, surveyed 86 inmates currently serving time for burglary about how they broke in and what homeowners can do to deter other burglars. It came down to four big deterrents anyone can do:
- Keep your property visible with good lighting, and keep your bushes and trees trimmed.
- Always leave a TV or radio on when you leave, and keep at least one light on. This was one of the most commonly mentioned deterrents in the survey.
- Keep an extra car visible in the driveway if possible. Almost every ex-burglar surveyed said that seeing a car in the driveway kept them away.
- Get to know your neighbours so they can report any suspicious activity to you.
Other tips include getting a dog — a big one, not a small one — posting a security system sign (which doesn’t always work), and getting a visible security camera. You can get more great tips at the link below.
We asked 86 burglars how they broke into homes [KGW Portland]
Comments
2 responses to “Four Tips From Ex-Burglars On How To Protect Your Home And Belongings”
I have wondered if a security camera setup is a deterrent or makes the house stand out. We have 2 cameras out the front of the house (both very visible from the street) but we are probably the only house in the street that have them. Probably one of very few in the whole neighborhood really. With that in mind, would a burglar think that the house with cameras is more likely to have more valuable stuff to steal?!
If they can do the maths to work out how many wraps they can buy from the stuff they’ll nick, they’ll also work out that hitting every other house in the street with a much lower risk of being caught on camera is a better option.
That said, these scum generally ain’t too bright.