23 Ex-Burglars Reveal How to Deter Criminals

1.

Don't post anything on social media until you have gotten back home. I can't tell you how many neighbors and family have gotten robbed because of this.

2.

If a family member dies, leave someone to house sit the house the deceased lived in. Years ago a bunch of thieves would look at the funerals section and they would go burglarize houses of the deceased, knowing full well that the whole family was away, down to the exact hour the funerals started.

3.

A recent study showed that burglars come back to the same houses quite often. They do this because of a number of motives. 1: They want to take tings they, for some reason, couldn't take the first time. 2: They're kinda familiar with the house. 3: It's guaranteed that the people they robbed replaced the stuff they stole the first time, often these replacements are of better quality than the original. So after you get raided take good security measures.

4.

I'm going to assume having a cop for a neighbor that parks his cruiser in the driveway facing my house is a nice burglar deterrent.

5.

One thing on Reddit I read was that having a pair of large work boots on the porch next to the door can deter burglars (unless they know you). It basically says "Someone is home right now, it its possibly a big dude who can hurt you."

6.

When I was young and dumb I would boost rims off cars, cause you could make quick money and it was less then a felony. The number one deterrent hands down...... Lights. If a place is lit up like a Christmas tree on the outside of a house you stay clear cause it means anyone can see you and see you clearly

7.

I'm not a burglar, but I worked for the largest security company in this country for half a decade. Burglar alarms do not deter burglars. They just alert you that you have been burglarized. Most of the time the police will take very little action in response due to the fact that 98% of burglar alarm activation constitute false alarms. The sign that comes with the alarm though? That thing is worth more than the alarm as far as deterring burglars. My job was to take reports from customers who had been burglarized. (see my first point above) In all my time doing these interviews and I never interviewed one single burglary victim who owned a medium sized or large sized dog. Not one single time. That is not to say that no one who owns a dog ever gets burglarized. I'm just saying that in 5 years of spending 8 hours a day interviewing people who had been, not one single time did I encounter the situation. I think there is at least SOME statistical validity in that. TL:DR A big dog is the best burglary deterrent you can possibly have. Better than burglar alarms, signs, guns or expensive locks.

8.

Listened to a KFI radio interview when I lived in Los Angeles. Former anonymous burglar said he avoided houses that hung the U.S. flag. Said it told him the occupants likely owned at least one firearm. Would avoid even if it looked as though no one was home.

9.

I have to assume that the 18 steps up from street level are at least some deterrent. We don't even get Jehovah's witnesses.

10.

I stuck with commercial burglary, residential burglary carried a risk of getting hit with a home invasion charge which increases your sentence if convicted (not to mention, you run the risk of getting shot by some redneck with a spring-loaded magnum under every flat surface in the house). Anyway, I'd pick places based on the upkeep of their equipment. If the cash register was out of date, so was their camera system. If the clerk leaves the register open a crack while they're behind the counter, that means the safe is likely open in the back room. It also helps to hit the places that hire felons (fast food joints, video stores, etc.) because the cops are gonna waste a lot of time looking into the staff members who have a criminal history. The closer they're looking at them, the better off I am. Of course, this was ~15 years ago, things change.

11.

Signs painted on or near buildings/residences that are deemed to be 'easy pickings', so to speak. Also signs that act as warnings. For example, the sign for 'alarmed' looks like a W with a line drawn horizontally across the top, while a simple X could mean a good target. This is true where I am in England, but I know not whether these symbols carry over to other countries. *not a former burglar. I would be wealthier if I was. I would also have a cat called Dingo who would help me on my missions.

12.

Young redditors may not have heard of this thing; it's called 'radio'. Leave a talk station on when you're out. No burglar's gonna come in if he hears voices, unless it's a home invasion. Leave a light on, doesn't matter if you put a timer on it or not. Just a low level light, like it's a night light for going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. A dog is another big plus. Hard for anyone to get past a dog in the dark. They don't need to see you to bark and bite you. Have never been burglarized, ever, and I'm 67 years old. That is all.

13.

I live in an area with a large homeless population, many which are drug addicts. Lots of smash and grab car burglaries. I can tell you this for certain. Theft is 99% visual meaning if you've left something valuable within view, your gonna lose it. And of value could even mean even an empty bag. Tweakers not gonna assume its empty they will take the chance but at the same time dudes not gonna smash a window then take the time to start rummaging around hoping to find something of value. Too time consuming especially after a large crash from your newly busted window.

14.

My neighbour got robbed because he installed a dog flap. I.e. he put a man sized hole in his door. We don't even live in a particularly nice area.

15.

Motion sensing flood lights outside. No big bushes in front of windows where someone could hide. Thorned bushes are always good for under windows, if you keep them close enough. A dog is nice. If you can't afford an alarm and security cameras, fake cameras and alarm contacts on windows can be a deterrent, hopefully. Better to just get the real thing. Remember any security footage could possibly be obtained and used against you if something goes down. If you do shady things, cameras could be a bad idea. Dead bolt locks on all exterior doors. Keyed outside and inside if there's windows in or next to the door... but then only take the key out when nobody is home, for fire safety. If you aren't always home at night, get a few timers for lamps inside. Pro level: Get a cheap tv. Like a CRT 13 inch that nobody wants. Put it in a cabinet or wall unit type thing, so you can close the door to hide it when guests come over. Put it on a timer to stay on until very late, and set a light timer in a bedroom to come on when it goes off. Install vertical blinds on a window across from the tv. Vertical blinds are great, because you can angle them for a very limited view, so the house looks less closed up and more inhabited. Anyway, in this case, angle the blinds so you can clearly see the tv, but nothing else in the room. Set volume so you can just barely hear it outside. This does two things: the light and sound make it seem like someone could be home. And, a thief may look in, see the old 13 incher and just be like damn this dude's stuff sucks, I'm going somewhere else.

16.

In the autobiography of Malcolm X, he said that if he went to a house, and the bathroom light was on, he didn’t go in. Said something like ‘a guy in the bathroom could come out anytime’

17.

Don't leave empty boxes from high end electronics on the curb outside your house. People tend to do this right after the holidays. Put that in your car and throw it out somewhere else, like the local recycling center. Any burglar casing your neighborhood will see that and know without even coming near your house and looking suspicious that you just got a bunch of valuable stuff just ready to be taken.

18.

Not a burglar but lots happens in my area. • People coming by who are either sketchily fundraising for something or "working for so-and-so company" when you weren't expecting anyone. They're casing your house and figuring out when you're home. They're also probably figuring out the best way in and out of your place. • Leaving boxes of big ticket items visible in your garbage or alley. • Depending on who/where, sometimes they'll stake out near your home or do drive-bys several times to see when you're home.

19.

I feel bad being another one of those "I'm not actually one but: people, but: You know how some landscapers throw bags of rocks with a landscaping ad or business card in them? Guess what? Some of these are just burglars taking a bunch of pamphlets from a landscaping business, throwing these in your yard. They drive by a day or two later. Whoever didn't pick them up is a much more likely candidate, especially if there was no car in the driveway either time.

20.

I'm not answering the question directly, but I am answering it indirectly: The vast majority of burglaries are perpetrated by people who have been inside your home before This is very important to realize. When you have guests over that you don't know well (maybe at a Halloween party), lock all of the doors to bedrooms, and don't have anything super valuable just laying out to show. Most of the time they won't take anything during the party, but they will come back later... with friends.

21.

Turn on exterior lights. Have an alarm sign in front yard. Alarm stickers on windows. Barking dog. Id skip that house

22.

If you open your door and a $1/2/5.00 etc, bill floats down, somebody is targeting your house. When I was a precious angel, I used to wedge a bill on top/side of the front door. I'd check again in the early hours to see if the money was taken or put back in the wrong place. If it was, I'd leave the place alone. I'd recommend if it happens, wether it be money or other that falls when you unlock the front door, to let the police know someone is targeting houses for a robbery.

23.

I only broke into a house once. It was my ex-girlfriend's place. She announced on Facebook she was out of the country for the weekend with her new lover, and I was still pissed she cheated on me a couple of weeks with that person earlier, so I decided to break some of her stuff. -- I had a duplicate key to her front door. And I know it sounds creepy looking back at it, but I had it made the day she mentioned she wanted the key back, so I got in there pretty easily. Once inside, I poured water into every single electriconic device (laptop, tv, playstation, etc.) -- I also fed the cat, and gave the poor bastard a bowl of water, since she forgot to do so. Then I left.