At the end of a long, stressful day, you return to your house or apartment, happy to finally be home. However, your home — as well as the possessions you keep there — may be at greater risk than you realize. Did you know that about 2.5 million burglaries are committed every year? That works out to an average of 10,100 burglaries per day, every day.
Furthermore, about two-thirds of those are residential break-ins — so any house can become a target. The majority of burglaries happen between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., when people are less likely to be at home, and the average break-in takes less time than you might realize — just eight to ten minutes.
Obviously, no one wants to be the victim of a crime. Even a minor burglary can cost you peace of mind, not to mention money; the average burglary loss is $2,416. Statistics suggest that over the next 20 years, three in four homes are likely to be broken into, yet most homes lack any kind of security system.
Security measures such as alarm systems can provide a powerful deterrent to would-be crooks. One study found that four in five burglars checked to see if a home had an alarm system before trying to break in. Out of those, six in ten would move on to another home if they found an alarm system. For those burglars who discovered during a break in that the home had an alarm system, half of them would simply leave the scene and return home. About one-third of the rest would attempt to hide, while a mere 13% would continue with the burglary.
Video doorbells have grown in popularity and now nearly one in five households have one. Another 16.2% of homeowners have home security systems that are professionally monitored, while another 8.1% have home security systems that are self-monitored.
If you have a home security system, you have to determine where to put your cameras. Those places should include all of the entryways to your home, including the back doors, side doors and front doors, and ideally the windows on your ground floor. If you have an attached garage, make sure that you have a security camera positioned there as this is an attractive place for burglars to gain entry into a home. For more information, check out the accompanying resource. Courtesy of Security Doctors.
