|
Average Loss
Per Burglary In U.S.
Is $2,000,
According to the F.B.I.
Consider Hiding Your Valuables Where
Thief Won’t Look – Right Before His Eyes
Home
burglaries don’t let up – ever! Thieves don’t
go on vacation and they never stop looking for
homes to burglarize.
Residential
property thefts makes up 7 5% of all crime in
the United States. The scary fact is that a
burglary occurs somewhere in the U.S. every 15.4
seconds, according to the F.B.I.
The thieves
are generally looking for small, expensive items
that can easily be converted to cash. Cash, of
course, is acceptable, as is jewelry, watches
and other such small valuables. Conveniently
enough for the homeowner, these kinds of items
are perfect for stashing in one of many kinds of
diversion safes that fool the thief because he
thinks he is looking at everyday home products
on shelves or elsewhere.
Some kind of
force is used in about 70% of all home
break-ins, according to F.B.I. statistics. The
invaders would rather gain easy access through
unlocked or open doors or windows or perhaps
through an unlocked garage that opens up into
the home.
Once in the
home, according to the Chicago Crime Commission,
burglars spend an average of eight minutes
searching for items to steal. So they have to
go for the most likely places to find valuables,
right? That would be in bedrooms -- on top of
bureaus and in drawers, most likely. Or perhaps
in a safe, so they may spend some of that
precious eight minutes looking behind paintings
or other obvious places where safes are stashed.
But how much time do thieves spend looking
in pantries, under sinks, even in
refrigerators? Because that’s where clever
consumers place their diversion safes,
consisting of images of food products, soft
drinks, cleaning products and more.
You may think that burglary is a random
crime, but experts tell us it is not. It
involves a selection process. Thieves look for
an unoccupied home with the easiest access, the
greatest amount of cover and with the best
escape routes, crime experts say.
Thus, you
want to make it as difficult as possible to
enter. That means doors and windows locked.
And consider a highly visible decal indicating
an alarm system; burglars dislike alarm systems
and will usually pass by the house. A “Beware
of Dog” sign can also be a deterrent.
The most
discouraging F.B.I. statistic is that police
only clear about 13% of reported burglaries. So
it comes down to this: who can out-strategize
the other the best? If you can’t prevent them
from breaking into your home, there’s a good
chance you can fool them into thinking that your
valuables are all in a bank somewhere by using
diversion safes.
By stashing
you valuables in a fake flower pot, a dummy
book, a phony electrical plug, what appears to
be a can of food or drink and/or a household
cleaning can – even a fake rock – maybe you can
out-think the thieves. The diversion safes are
economical; perhaps a combination of two or more
might even spread out your risk.
|
