There are on average an estimated 300,000 reported burglaries a year in Australia with Queensland being the third highest state hit after Northern Territories and Western Australia. As a result it’s a good reason to be mindful of your overall property security. However when most of what we think we know about burglaries and how it occurs stems from video games and movies, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. Therefore we thought it would be a good idea to debunk some of the myths surrounding burglary, so that homeowners have a better idea on how to protect themselves against it.
Myth 1 – Burglaries occur at night
While some burglaries do indeed occur at night around 60% occur during the day (particularly business hours). If you think about it, this kind of makes sense because people are far more likely to be at home during the evening and in the case of working families, are less likely to be around during the day. As a burglar doesn’t want to meet people when they break into your home, daylight often provides the most convenient opportunity.
Myth 2 – Burglars prefer to break in through windows
According to a recent survey carried out by the Guardian newspaper, over a 2 year period (2011-2013) and records taken from over over 170,000 burglaries, over 60% of burglars chose to break in via the door and not the window. What’s probably more alarming is that 8% of those burgled reported that they’d actually left a door open.
Myth 3 – Jewellery and valuable hi tech items are the most common stolen
Although these kinds of items are clearly going to be attractive to any would be burglar, the perpetrator then has the job of trying to sell them on. Most burglars are opportunist and as a result, it’s cold hard cash that’s the most commonly stolen item. In fact out of 217,000 reported burglaries that occurred in 20l1, in 31% of cases it was cash that was the target. Clearly then, it’s far better to leave your money in the bank than under your bed.
Finally another couple of useful facts..
According to reports Friday is the most popular day for burglaries with 17% of people reporting that they had been broken into, with Sunday being the least popular at 12%.
October is also the busiest month for break in’s with just under 10% being reported while February is the least active with 6%
If you want to find out more about how to protect your home or business contact MA Services Group on 03 999 4107. We’ve been providing static and mobile security as well as asset protection, concierge security, and event security for many years. As such we have vast experience within the industry, so let us use our expertise to safeguard your business or home.
