Burglars are nothing but an opportunistic lot and Winter, well to them, it’s like Christmas has come early. And it’s a festive period that lasts a few months.
Because Winter is by far the worst time of year for burglaries to occur. People are still at work with the early dark nights and it’s dark long into the early morning hours too. On top of that, burglars can count on many properties being unoccupied for a period over Christmas and the New Year and they’ll also take advantage of the vacant homes of people flying off to warmer climes.
Here’s some interesting facts about burglaries.
How common is burglary?
In 2020/21 there were over 267,0000 burglaries in England. (And that’s during lockdown!)
How likely is it that you will be burgled?
That depends on you to a great extent but nobody plans on being burgled and 816 burglaries still occur every day. That’s 34 burglaries every hour and one every 108 seconds! No wonder there are so many locksmiths. But while there will always be opportunistic burglars to keep us busy, we’d much rather every home is as safe as possible.
What’s the most common time for a break-in?
Between 10 am and 3 pm
It’s true. While darkness during winter months is a nice bonus for a burglar, over a full year the most common time for a break-in is actually between 10 am and 3 pm. It does make sense though, a burglar will always prefer to strike when they think it’s more likely that no one is home.
What is a favourite place for a break-in to occur?
Mostly, a burglar prefers to be out of view with a minimal chance of being disturbed. That’s why almost all illegal home entries occur at the rear of the house where it is more likely to be quieter, probably secluded, and likely without a chance of being seen.
So what’s the upshot?
It’s to be sensible about your home security and be aware that Winter is the most common time for break-ins. If you do go out, lock up your home and while you’re at it, why not leave your Christmas lights on in December. In Jan and Feb, if you have a timer for your room lights, set it to come on as it gets dark. Anything you can do to make your home look occupied and discourage a would-be burglar, you should do. And if you think a security upgrade is in order too, we can help with that.
Because at this time of year the only silent intruder you want is a big guy in red who comes down the chimney.
Merry Christmas everyone.
