Effective burglary protection: Where do I start?

The number of burglaries reported annually in United Kingdom has long since cracked the 150,000 mark. The number of failed burglary attempts is in all likelihood at least as high again.

This data proves two things: Firstly, there is no such thing as an absolutely burglar-proof house. Secondly, however, the failed attempts show that one factor above all plays a role in this criminal act, and that is time. If a burglar does not manage to reach his target within two to five minutes, he abandons his plan and looks for another object.

Table of contents

• Do not be careless
• Prevention protects your property
• A few facts to know
• How burglars operate in an emergency: your safety first
• What preventive measures you can take
• There is no such thing as perfect protection

Do not be careless

If - as a recent study has shown - you belong to the approximately 60 percent of people who have never dealt with the subject, the question naturally arises: Effective burglary protection - where do I start? And what is really safe?

After all, at this moment you have taken the first hurdle and are starting to deal with the, admittedly unfortunately unattractive, subject. The next step is to seek competent advice.

Prevention protects your property

Every homeowner can prevent burglaries. If a new building is planned accordingly, the costs for effective burglary protection are hardly significant.

But of course, retrofitting is also possible, which costs little money compared to the material losses caused by burglaries.

However, you should also not disregard the psychological factor that a burglary can seriously affect the personal feeling of security for a long time.

Investing in sensible burglary protection is therefore doubly worthwhile.

Take advantage of the services offered by criminal police advice centres, consumer protection centres or reputable and professional locksmiths, who will usually be happy to carry out a site inspection and advise you individually and tailored to your needs.

A few facts to know

Let's first clear up an idea that is unfortunately still manisolid in many people's minds. Holiday time is the time of burglars? Not at all. According to police statistics, most burglaries occur during the dark season between October and February. Even when it comes to the time of day, the perpetrators prefer dusk.

This makes it easier for them to see if someone is at home, for example, because the lights are on or the TV is on. Darkness also offers them more protection when carrying out their crime as well as when escaping.

How the burglars proceed

In single-family houses, about 75 percent of the perpetrators enter through the garden and try to pry open windows and patio doors with screwdrivers and similar tools. In apartment buildings, they have to get through the front door.

Accordingly, you can take precautions if you want to protect yourself effectively against burglaries - so the most important measures concern doors and windows. Some people also rely on electronic detection systems. These can be useful in driving burglars away, but they do not actually prevent a burglary - they merely report it. Protecting the "outer skin" of your flat or house is always the most important thing.
In case of emergency: your safety first

If you catch a burglar in the act, do not play the hero. Most of the time, the perpetrators flee when they are surprised, but there are always cases of violence. It is best to call the police and wait outside the flat for them to arrive. Do not touch anything and do not clean anything up so that the officers can secure any traces.

What preventive measures you can take

Below we have listed a few tips on how you can effectively protect yourself from burglaries. If you take the advice to heart and invest a little money, you can leave your house or flat feeling safer in the future.

1. Make sure that the facade or all entrances - house and cellar doors, balcony and terrace doors, windows - are well lit. If you install motion detectors, you will not have to deal with excessive electricity costs.
2. If you are going away, do not make your holiday plans public. If possible, talk to friends, relatives or neighbours you know well, so that they regularly empty your letterbox, lower and raise roller shutters or switch on the lights. Do not leave a holiday message on the answering machine, nor post your anticipation on social networks. Professional burglars search Facebook & Co. for such messages and are also able to find out your address afterwards.

3. Close windows and balcony doors completely - so do not leave any windows open on a tilt. Windows can be prised open quickly and easily with a screwdriver. Thieves rarely break a window because it makes too much noise. Blinds can also be easily pushed up. If you are building a new house or renovating an existing one, you should spend a few euros more on security and buy appropriate windows, balcony and patio doors as well as roller shutters with a locking mechanism. Existing windows can also be secured retroactively. Just ask your nearest locksmith. 

4. The same applies to house and flat doors as to windows. Make sure that the door and frames themselves are sturdy. Only install locks that can withstand common burglary methods. These can be mechanical, but also electronic systems. Ask for lock cylinders certified according to VdS classes A or B, VdS class B-plus or the DIN 18252 standard. A locksmith's expert will be happy to explain the details and tell you which protection is best for you and your property. 

5. The danger of burglars coming through the garage should not be underestimated if it is directly attached to the house and has access to your home. In this case, you should provide protection at the garage door, but also at the access door.

There is no such thing as perfect protection

The most important factor for burglars is time. We already mentioned at the beginning that, according to police statements, a burglary is usually broken off after five minutes at the latest if the burglar is unable to gain access to your home during this time. You can find a lot more information on the burglary protection tab of Schlüsseldienst Berlin.

There is no such thing as perfect protection, but by taking the measures described above, you can create a time window that makes burglars despair and stop their crime.