Does home burglary follow a seasonal pattern? Though homeowners should take the same precautions year-round, they should be extra careful and alert during the winter holidays, when break-ins are on the rise.
What National Crime Statistics Show
Burglaries and other crimes tend to peak during the summer months. However, the figures also spike during the holiday season. In a report by CNN on Christmas burglaries, the state of California, for example, saw 21,900 burglaries in December of 2011 – that’s 18% higher than the state’s monthly average.
Likewise, the city of Philadelphia saw 194 residential burglaries in December of 2012, compared to an average of 143 for the five months that followed.
Other Burglary Trends
According to the statistics, and contrary to popular belief, most burglaries occur during daylight hours rather than the evening. The perpetrator is often a teenage male looking to take items that can quickly be converted into cash. Burglaries executed by experienced criminals with a violent history are far less common. In many instances, the perpetrator also tends to live within walking distance of the targeted home.
How to Protect Your Home This Holiday
The holidays are a time to show off your décor to the neighbors. You may also be tempted to keep the curtains open, so neighbors can see your beautiful decorations and the mounds of wrapped presents. This display exposes other valuables, such as your big screen HD TV, gaming consoles, antiques, and other expensive possessions that may indicate to burglars that you have money and other valuables just out of sight. Experts in theft prevention recommend that homeowners keep drapes and curtains closed as often as possible.
Other burglary prevention tips include:
- Use exterior lighting to keep the property well-lit. But do not keep them on 24/7. Burglars who regularly scout for targets will soon catch on to this. The same goes for indoor lighting.
- Don’t leave signs you are gone. If the garbage collector collects on Wednesday and your garbage container is still out on Friday, then that is a tell-tale sign that you haven’t been around.
- After Christmas, don’t leave out discarded boxes of the Ultra HD TV or PlayStation 4 console on the curb.
- Avoid posting about out-of-town vacations on social media.
Invest in a Home Security System
Maryland Security Professionals provides customized home surveillance camera systems to homeowners in Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If your New Year’s resolution for 2018 is to invest in home surveillance, contact Maryland Security Professionals for a free security audit. We will custom-design a security solution to meet your needs and budget, and help make sure that your home is not an easy target for thieves this holiday season, or any time of year.
Get more information on the uptick in home burglaries during the holidays:
- CNN Money, Burglaries Jump During the Holidays, http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/27/real_estate/christmas-burglaries/index.html