First a couple of statistics. In 2007 according to the FBI, 17.5 million property crimes took place in the United States. That breaks down to one burglary every 14 seconds. Though the majority of burglaries take place during the day, 60% to 65% of burglaries take place between 6am and 6pm, close to 40% happen at night when victims are sleeping. 81% of intruders enter through the first floor and 35% of all burglaries are through the front door.
The average loss during a burglary was $2,000.
Typically burglars spend less than 60 seconds breaking into a home. The more difficult it is to gain access, the more likely a burglar is likely to reconsider the attack
Historically speaking, when the economy is not doing well, property crime and burglary have increased
Less than 13% of burglaries are solved.
Without a doubt, there are many factors that can reduce your odds of being burglarized. Adequate lighting outdoors, lights on inside the house, locked doors, shrubs and trees trimmed so windows are not blocked, all help. Protecting your home is a combination of factors, not any single thing.
The biggest factor, however, and most interesting to anyone considering a security system, is that homes with monitored alarm systems are 3 times less likely to be broken into than homes without. Burglars are not stupid and call tell when it is more likely they will be caught. By making it harder, you are encouraging the burglar to pick a different place to break into. It is estimated that 74% of uncompleted burglaries can be credited to an audible alarm
90% of convicted burglars say they would avoid homes with alarm systems and said that if they did pick a home with an alarm system, they would abandon the break in.
Alarm systems provide a psychological deterrent to crime.
As we have seen, alarm systems do work. If a burglar breaks in and realizes the alarm is contacting the police department, they tend to flee. If you have yard signs and decals indicating that your home is protected, the burglar tends to move on to the next house. This combination, along with other security measures, is a potent way to safeguard your home against break in.
So to answer the question, alarm systems do work.
If you live in Central or Northern New Jersey and would like information on any of the topics discussed above, or if you would like us to perform a Home Safety and Security Audit, absolutely free, please call 800-369-3962 or simply click the link below.
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