Your home is your castle. It’s where you keep most of your stuff, including valuables like your TV, video game systems, collectibles, jewelry and sometimes even a little store of cash. You expect to be able to keep things safe in your home, but everyone knows there are people out there looking for a quick and easy buck. Burglars are out there, and WNCN interviewed dozens of them to see how they approach breaking into your home.
Here are some of the major points:
- They’ll usually knock on doors to see if someone is home before breaking in.
- Leaving your lights or TV on while you’re away won’t deter burglars.
- Trash cans left at the road and over-filled mailboxes are sure signs that nobody is home.
- Burglars would rather kick in a door than go through a broken window.
- They prefer to go in back or side doors, but if the front door is obscured or has something to hide behind when a car passes, such as trees, that becomes a suitable entry point as well.
- Burglars look for sliding glass doors because they can be shoved off-track for easy entry. Some sliding doors come with stoppers, but if yours doesn’t have you you can use a stick or a broom.
- Favored targets are jewelry, cash, but anything valuable that is small enough to fit into pockets or a pillow case (which they’ll take from your bed) will do.
- Burglars look everywhere for stowed-away cash: in the fridge, vents, drawers, cabinets, and trash cans.
- Motion lights and security cameras are good deterrents.
- Security signs in the yard won’t stop them, but an alarm usually will.
- Dogs will stop most burglars, but others will bring treats just in case. Some, however, are not above killing a dog that’s making noise.