I was previously burgled, am I at greater risk of being burgled again?

A response by Jon Caldwell, Security Consultant, at Caldwell Security.

More Blogs available at https://caldwellsecurity.co.uk/blog.

Research of crime statistics shows that anyone who has been burgled previously, and has not undertaken any additional security measures to reduce a repeat of being burgled, is at a higher -risk of burglary.  Several criminological studies, as well as data from Insurance Companies, have indicated the risk could be as high as a 25% chance of a repeat burglary.

It is quite possible that the original Burglar will wait until they believe the Householder has claimed on their Insurance for the property that was stolen. and then replaced the items.  The Burglar will already know the layout of the premises, know where the previous stolen items were located, know the vulnerable entry points, and might be encouraged to try again.  Criminals will usually take advantage of the same security weaknesses, and if these weaknesses have not been resolved by additional security measures, the risk of being burgled again then rises.

There might have been valuable items that the Burglar was unable to steal on the first occasion, and is therefore keen to go back and try again.  There is also the possibility that the Burglar has informed other Criminals, who then might attempt to burgle the premises themselves.

Research also shows that any neighbours of the original burglary may also have an increased risk of being burgled.  This is because often neighbouring houses share similar design features, such as ungated side entrances, deeply recessed front entrances, or ungated alleyways running to the rear of terraced housing.  New housing developments may also have very similar locks on entrance doors.

My strong advice is that anyone who has been burgled should react immediately and increase their home security, and also inform the local Neighbourhood Watch Scheme to ensure neighbours of the Victim can also consider taking action to upgrade their home security.  Consideration should be given to fitting a suitable House Alarm, and CCTV System, after taking professional security advice.

You may wish to consider booking a Consultation with Caldwell Security, who can arrange a bespoke low-cost Crime Prevention Security Survey and give professional advice on what proportionate security measures would be the most appropriate for your premises. Learn more by clicking HERE

Caldwell Security Consultants will provide, no obligation, security mitigation recommendations, but they do not provide installation, or supply, of any security products.