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Everyone wants to feel safe at home, but ignoring the possibility that your home may be burgled is a huge mistake. After all, overconfidence leads to carelessness, and there’s nothing burglars like more than an easy target. In this article, we’ll look at house burglary statistics as well as the simple steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
How Many Homes Get Burgled?
Around one in one hundred houses are burgled in a single year. A total of 181,617 home burglaries were reported to police in 2023-2024. That means an average of 498 burglaries per day. According to police, the odds of a break-in increase if your house has been burgled before - especially if you didn’t upgrade your security.
What is the Most Common Time of Day For Burglaries?
Many people think of burglaries as a nighttime phenomenon, but 40 percent of burglaries occur between three and five in the afternoon. It’s a time when burglars expect to find nobody home, and they’re quick to take advantage of an empty house and a good chance of a getaway before anyone notices something amiss.
Despite this, a lot of burglaries occur in the evening or late at night. Police say that burglars who take the risk of breaking in while you’re at home often do so because they want to make off with a vehicle. The keys will be inside your house, and they break in to get them. Besides this, you’d usually carry your wallet or purse with you when you’re out, and its contents could make for a lucrative haul.
How Do Burglars Get In?
Burglars most often enter homes in the same way that you do: through the front door. 76 percent of burglars gain access through doors, often by forcing locks. Of course, if your door is unlocked, it’s a simple matter of walking in. Windows still account for their share of attention from miscreants, with unlocked or open windows presenting an attractive target.
Police warn that sheds and garages are often a weak point. Since most people store tools there, criminals can find everything they need to break in. Besides this, access doors between garages and homes are frequently not as well-secured as other entrances, and the garage itself offers a place to “work” without being spotted.
What Makes Homes Attractive Targets for Burglary?
According to studies, the first thing burglars consider is visibility. Homes in busy areas with clear visibility from the street were the ones they identified as the least likely targets. Dense shrubbery was a favourite with burglars, and poor lighting outdoors at night also offers cover. Most burglars agreed that obvious security measures would deter them because they make houses harder to break into.
Figures show that burglars tend to be more active during the summer months, especially during holiday periods when homeowners are away. With nobody home, they can take their time, stripping your home of valuables without fear of being caught. There have even been accounts of burglars becoming so brazen that they park a lorry outside a house and fill it with looted household goods.
Are Burglars Opportunistic?
Only 12 percent of burglars plan ahead. The rest will strike if they spot an opportunity. They’re looking for easy targets and will take any valuables they can find. Those who do plan, however, are the “professionals.” They know what they intend to steal and will spend time learning your habits and looking for the easiest and quickest way to get into your house. The best protection against opportunists and professional burglars is to ensure that gaining access will not be an easy matter.
House Burglaries in the UK: What They Cost Victims
The average value of goods stolen during burglaries is £4,573. And, when the intruders damage property, repair costs are an additional expense. But the psychological toll on victims is even worse and can affect them for many years to come. After the initial shock and anger, victims often experience fear, anxiety and insomnia. Around ten percent of victims will move house after a burglary because they no longer feel safe and comfortable at home.
How to Deter Burglars
We’ve published a detailed article on how to deter burglars, but we’ll sum up some of the general principles here. Burglars prefer easy targets, and they don’t want to attract attention. They want to enter quickly, leave quickly, and remain unseen. If your home is well-secured, they will not be able to do any of these things.
With the front door acting as the primary means of access and back and side doors getting their share of attention, it pays to ensure your doorways are secure and have sturdy, multipoint locks that can’t easily be forced or broken. Windows are the second-most important area where you can beef up security and securing your garage denies burglars access to tools that will help them.
At Stronghold, we design, manufacture and install LPS 1175 SR3 certified, police-approved security doors that you can personalize to match your home’s aesthetics. Our security windows look charming but present a formidable barrier against forced entry, and our garage doors not only look marvellous, but keep thieves at bay. Contact us today and let’s work together to keep your home the safe haven you’d like it to be.
