When most homeowners think of burglaries, they think of thieves carrying large framed works of art and big-screen televisions out of a home, but recent studies paint a starkly different picture of what really happens when thieves break into a house. While people might think it is their large electronics and expensive furniture that’s at risk, in reality, today’s criminals move quickly, take only what they can carry easily, and steal only what’s visible to them.
In order to keep a home’s small valuables safe, they should be hidden out of sight and not in places where burglars will know where to look. , a website that offers safety advice for women, says of robberies:
The objects most often stolen during a home burglary are those that are small and easily converted into cash. Jewelry boxes and piggy banks or jars of coins are common targets because they can be converted to cash easily, and are kept in the same location in many homes. If you leave your credit cards, checkbooks, or guns unprotected, you can expect them to be stolen as well.”
Any credit cards and checkbooks that are left at home to curb unnecessary spending when homeowners are out shopping should be shut away in a sturdy cabinet with a lock or a small but immobile safe or lockbox. Large items such as big-screen televisions, heavy stereos, and other large electronics are usually not targeted, but other electronics that are easily carried are at risk for theft. Some of the hottest items that are being stolen today are laptops, tablets, MP3 players, gamingstations, and even smartphones. If possible, rooms where these items are kept should have a door that locks to keep them secure when the owner is not at home. Cash should never be kept in visible clear bottles around the home, such as in clear glass banks or novelty jars, even when people are at home. These jars and banks are an easy mark for anyone with sticky fingers and if they are displayed, they should have a locking mechanism that is difficult to break.
The majority of today’s thieves are smash-and-grab artists, taking only what they can carry and what is immediately visible. In order to keep their homes safe, homeowners should lock away cash, credit cards, and weapons, tuck expensive small electronics out of sight, and never display cash anywhere in the home that is easily accessible.
Steven Ordona
Author & Pubic Relations – Steven is a fifteen year executive veteran of the home security industry and is now in charge of the site’s content. Steven is responsible for all the content created and also plays a critical role in our public relations department.