Do burglars return to the same house?

Finding your home broken into is traumatic, whatever the situation. You may have caught them in the act, found your home completely ransacked, or discovered a forced lock with nothing missing.

And with 1 in 4* homes being retargeted, there’s definitely a worry that you’ll be broken into again.

Why would I be retargeted?

Unfortunately, once a burglar has managed to break in, they see your home as an easy target. They may also pass your address on to others - once they’ve given you time to replace the things that were stolen.

But not to worry there are things you can do to up your security and make sure the perpetrators don’t return:

Make visible changes

If the burglar can see plainly that you’ve made security changes, they may think twice about attempting to break in.

Things like installing a gravel drive to create noisy trespassing, putting security stickers in your porch or front windows and displaying a bell box on the side of your property are all strong visual deterrents.

Hide purchases

If you replace what was stolen be sure not to advertise it. Leaving large boxes from TVs and laptops near your bin, placing valuable items near windows or even posting on social media can be flashing beacons that let burglars know there’s a new haul to be stolen.

Change the locks

This may seem an obvious one, but we don’t just mean the locks on the door that was forced. Burglars will often steal keys so they can re-enter easily.

Make sure you get a locksmith to change the front and back door locks in your property. You can also add things like chain locks or deadbolts for extra security.

Upgrade your security

If you haven’t already got an alarm it’s worth investing in one. All our alarms come with monitoring as standard, meaning if no-one’s home and we detect a break in, we’ll contact you and your nominated friends and family - plus the police depending on what level of cover you have.

Go smart

The biggest intrusion after being burgled is the feeling that someone has been in your home. If you are really worried about not knowing what’s going on while you’re away, ADT Smart Home connects your cameras and alarm system to your phone.

That way you can check in whenever you feel, know who’s coming and going and set up alerts and scenarios to keep your home and loved ones safe.

If you need any more help and advice about securing your home after burglary, we’ve been in the security industry for over 140 years.

Speak to one of our friendly team to find out more today.

*https://www.churchill.com/press-office/releases/2017/burglary-victims-chance-of-being-burgled-again