Family Safety: 4 Tips to Prevent Daytime Burglaries

When most people envision a burglary scenario, they probably picture a masked criminal skulking around in the dead of night in search of valuables. However, studies show that a significant amount of burglaries happen in broad daylight. In light of this, it is a good idea to take preventative measures to reduce your chances of being the victim of a daytime burglary.

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Close the garage

Many homeowners will leave the garage door open when doing yardwork or other outdoor chores. This is no big deal if you are near the garage most of the time, but it is not uncommon to drive through a neighborhood and see garage doors left wide open with the homeowner nowhere in sight.

Burglars will see this as an opportunity to make off with some of the valuable items typically stored in garages such as power tools, lawnmowers, and bicycles. If you will be away from the garage area for more than a minute or two, always remember to close the door.

Install a home security system

Home security systems are great for thwarting daytime burglaries. Many of them use a network of door, window, and motion sensors to detect anyone who enters the home during certain hours. Most systems can also notify the local police department automatically.

Don’t hide a spare key outside the house

This is unfortunately a common practice with parents whose children come home from school before they are off work. According to security experts, however, burglars know all of the common hiding spots and often search for a spare key under the doormat or in a fake rock key hider.

If a member of your household frequently needs a spare key to get inside the house, leave a copy with a trusted neighbor.

Know your neighbors

Communities these days are not as tight-knit as they once were, but there is something to be said for the old-fashioned notion of getting to know your neighbors. If your neighbors know who you are and who lives in your home, they will be able to tell when someone does not belong there.

This foils many common burglar tricks such as the “moving van” ruse, which consists of parking a moving van outside of the victim’s home in order to assuage the suspicions of any witnesses.

As harrowing as it may be to think of thieves entering your home and stealing your valuables, homeowners need not live in constant fear. These steps are quite easy and do not require any massive lifestyle changes. Implementing a few of them can make your home an extremely difficult target for burglars.

Author’s note:

Ohio home security experts remind us that a few simple changes may be all it takes to keep opportunistic burglars from invading your home.