What you need to know about burglars

We all know what a burglar looks like, right?

They’re suave, sophisticated gentlemen in tailored suits who easily rob Vegas casinos in between martinis.

Well, maybe not.

No, they’re clearly guys in ski masks ready to smash through your front door and snatch a TV off the wall before the cops show up.

At least, sometimes.

Truth is, there’s no way to actually know what a thief looks like because the average burglar could look like anyone. There’s no one profile that will fit every person who might break into a house to steal.

Still, there are a few commonalities many burglars have in common.

Knowing a bit more about the average burglar can only help you defend against home robberies in the future.

• A burglary occurs roughly every 15 seconds, with 70 percent of burglaries occurring in residential homes.
• Almost 47 percent of burglaries occur in the South, due in large part to warmer weather throughout much of the year.
• The typical burglar often lives within two miles of their victim.
• Most burglars tend to be male and under the age of 25, often in their late teens.
• Few burglaries are done by the popular image of a “professional” thief. Most are done as crimes of opportunity, often involving little more than household tools or even just brute force to secure entry to a house and obtain stolen goods.
• Many burglars already have a criminal record for previous incidents, often including other burglaries and drug charges. This can make them more likely to attack a homeowner if they encounter them in a robbery.
• Most burglaries, however, are non-violent crimes. Burglars aren’t looking for a fight. They want to find items they can sell for cash and get out without a confrontation at all.
• Most burglars aren’t sneaking around your house in the dark. After all, you’re most likely to be in your home at night. Instead, most burglars will attempt a home invasion between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the house is most likely to be empty.
• The most common items stolen in a burglary are cash, jewelry, guns, drugs and small electronics, such as tablets, laptops, smartphones, MP3 players and the like, that can be pawned quickly for money.
• The average arrest rate for a burglary is only 13 percent, as most such crimes are not witnessed and even careless burglars tend not to leave behind fingerprints or other identifying clues.

The best way to stop a burglary, however, is not via identifying and confronting a burglar, but in taking preventative measures before such an incident takes place.

This includes installing a home security system, such as the DIY security kits sold by BlueAccess, which can make your home infinitely safer from home invasion and theft at relatively low cost and labor.

Know your burglar types, but more so, make sure any burglar casing your house knows you have BlueAccess. It will likely keep them from targeting you at all. And that’s the best place to know a burglar will be — far away from you and your home.