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How to stop your house being burgled


How to protect your home from being burgled

One of many people’s worst nightmares is returning home following a day out or holiday, only to find the house ransacked by burglars.

Michael Fraser – who has appeared on BBC’s Beat The Burglar, Channel 4’s Going Straight, and has now partnered with homes store Wickes – spent several of his younger years committing crime, but thankfully realised the error of his ways and has since made it his life’s work to do the best he can with his experience in this area.

Which is why we spoke to Michael, hoping to get the inside story on how we might better protect our homes from thieves. And it’s safe to say there are a lot of things we wouldn’t have thought of when it comes to protecting our homes.

Follow Michael’s advice to give yourself the best chance of avoiding becoming a target for burglars:

1. Make sure you’ve got two locks

Explaining how a robber goes about assessing potential targets, Michael says, ‘Opportunists will look at a row of houses, and if they only have one lock on the front door, you know you’re going to get into that place. ’

2. And use them both at all times

You might have two locks, but if you’re not using them, then you’re no more safe than a household with just one. ‘A burglar will come to the front door and use his foot to put pressure on the door, which will tell him whether the door has two locks in use,’ Michael explains.

3. Don’t display a ‘beware of the dog’ sticker

A pet is perceived as an age-old means of securing your house, which is why many dog-owners like to make this very clear with a sticker on their front window. But Michael would advise otherwise. ‘As a burglar, you know you’re going to get in there because they won’t have an alarm on if they’ve got a cat or a dog roaming about,’ he quite rightly points out.

As well as this, an explicit display of having a pet such as a cat will only serve as a sign to any clued-up burglar that there’ll be a cat-flap around the back somewhere, which would aid entry into the house.

4. Invest in curtains

Or something else to obscure view into the inside of your house. ‘If you can see into the front room, it gives a clue about the people and the personalities who live there,’ Michael says.

Especially around the festive season, with Christmas gifts on show, make even more of an effort to block the view into your house. Michael urges, ‘Never, ever advertise what you’ve got for Christmas. A lot of people put the empty boxes showing they got a 42" plasma colour-screen TV outside, and it’s like an invitation in.’

5. And window locks

‘If they’ve got no window locks, you can go round the back and guarantee their security is even weaker,’ Michael says. Don’t advertise your house as one that has not taken sufficient safety precautions.

Good Housekeeping

6. Get a cage for your letter box

‘A lot of people leave their keys near the front door, ready to go,’ Michael says, ‘but they don’t think about letterbox fishing. ’ This entails burglars sticking a pole through the letterbox to reach up and lift the keys either to the house or the car. If you leave your handbag near the front door, then you might also be vulnerable to having that pinched in the same way.

Getting a caged box to sit inside the letterbox will prevent this, Michael advises.

7. Think about where you display things

If you, like many households, have your calendar up in the kitchen facing a window, Michael warns that you’re putting yourself at risk. ‘Burglars can read,’ he reminds us, and a calendar clearly documenting the dates you’re going to be away from the house is all they need to plan their future robbery down to a tee.

8. Keep brooms and mops out of sight

This sounds like an odd one, but Michael explained to us that once a burglar has gained entry through the back of the house, they will head towards the front door and place a broom (or similar) against the front door: ‘So that while he’s searching – which can take less than two minutes – he’ll hear you open the front door, giving him an advantage to escape. ’

The other trick burglars have to protect themselves once in the house is dropping the catch on the front door, so you can no longer fit your key in the door.

9. Don’t rely on your dogs alone as guards

During filming for his BBC programme Beat The Burglar, Michael was once challenged to break and enter a house containing guard dogs. As Michael recalls, ‘The people said they believed I’d get in, but they didn’t think I’d get out because the dogs would attack me. They even checked if I wanted to go ahead with it because they were concerned about what the dogs might do in defence of the house.

‘I went ahead with it anyway, and broke in using a wheelie bin to climb up to the first floor, getting in through the small bathroom window, which was left open. When I was in, I slid down the bannister and jumped straight on to the kitchen worktop. The dogs came running but I used a long-handle brush to open the fridge, knocked out two sausages on to the floor, and then used the brush to stroke the dogs and talk to them while they were eating. The dogs, within five minutes, were my best friends. Any pet you show you’re not scared of will be your friend.’

As if that’s not shocking enough, Michael describes how he then went on to lead the dogs into the downstairs bathroom, keeping them in there while he continued to grab what he could from the house. ‘I burgled the house and put everything into the car left on the driveway, with the keys kindly labelled for me. At the end, the last thing you see me doing is carrying the two dogs out, putting them in the car and taking them with me.’

10. Take photos of every room in your house

In anticipation of a potential burglary, it’s a good idea to photo-document every room in your house, logging all important items as you go. Not only is this useful information to have on file for the benefit of the insurance company in the event of a robbery, and might aid the police in identifying any missing items, but there’s another clever reason for it.

Michael notes that during a robbery, a thief will likely ‘tip the place completely over’. This isn’t just because he’s in a rush to grab your stuff and run. ‘You’re confused and don’t necessarily notice what’s missing – you just know some things are missing,’ Michael points out. Having photographs of your rooms in their normal state will also help you to work out exactly what’s been taken.

One last thing you might not have thought of: beware of putting your house up for sale online

The notion that burglars might be smart enough to use online photographs, floor plans and virtual tours available on the internet to plot entry and escape routes from houses is new to us, but it’s something Michael brought to our attention.

‘I call it internet shopping,’ he says. ‘We go on the internet and we look up places that are up for sale. The estate agents’ sites will give you a virtual tour by camera around that property.'

‘So the burglar goes on, has a look, gets familiar with the place, and that gives them more confidence. They can then Google the area to know where they’re going to escape to, and they can get the price tag of the house to work out what kind of possessions the current owners are likely to have in there. ’

This is obviously a very worrying concept, but it’s hard to avoid making photographs available online if you want to actually sell your property. So follow all Michael’s tips above and you should ensure that, even in the event of a burglar scouting out your house online, you're fully protected from them gaining entry once they get there.

As Michael points out, ‘None of us tend to take enough security measures until we’ve been burgled, or a relative has.’ But it’s not worth leaving it until it’s too late. ‘Stand outside your own property and think, “how would I get in?”’ he suggests. And we think that’s a pretty good place to start.

How to Prevent Burglary: 10 Tips from a Burglar

From Spotlight: Home Cleaning Tips That’ll Put More Happy in Your Holidays

Don’t come home to a nightmare and the feeling of being invaded. Here how to stop a house burglary from ever happening.

Image: tommaso79/Getty

You come home to an open front door, a ransacked house, and missing valuables. How did a burglar know you’d be gone? How did they get in? 

Here are nine tips from a burglar's perspective about how to keep them out. And try these home security tips to prevent burglary, too.

#1 Put Ladders Away

Call me a social climber if you will, but I love ladders. They make it so easy to reach a second-story window. I really love it when upper story openings aren’t wired to a home security system. 

So, if you want to keep me out, store your ladder in the basement or a locked garage. And call your security company to wire upper-story windows into your alarm system.

#2 Don't Make Your Trash So Visible

Can’t tell you how much fun I have driving around neighborhoods on trash day (especially after big gift holidays) when the empty boxes on the curb reveal what wonderful new toys you have. That made it possible for me to land a new laptop and a flat-screen TV in one easy trip to your home!

Next time, break down the boxes and conceal them in the recycling or trash bins.  

#3 Keep Shrubs Trimmed

Oh, how I love overgrown shrubs and trees. A wonderful place to hide before I break in and grab all your cool stuff. 

Trim back bushes and trees near windows and doors. Make sure entry points to your home are easily visible from the street. I much prefer to work in private. While you’re at it, install motion-sensor lighting. 

#4 Be Sure Your Exterior Doors Are Steel

A plain wood-panel door is an invitation. I have no trouble kicking it in. 

You may want to install steel-wrapped exterior doors with deadbolts on all your entries. And be sure your windows are locked when you’re away. 

#5 Watch Where You Hang Mirrors

You’d be surprised how many homeowners position a mirror in their entry hall so I can see from a window if the alarm system is armed.

A little free advice: Relocate the mirror so your alarm system isn’t visible if someone peers through a window.

#6 Have Someone Attend to Your Home When You're Away

Wow, isn’t it amazing how fast the grass grows? An uncut lawn, unshoveled sidewalks, packages on the porch or in the yard, and shades always closed scream, "I'm empty. Come inside!" 

Hire someone you trust to mow or shovel regularly, pick up around the porch and doorstep, open and close various window shades, and turn different lights on and off (or put a few on timers). One more thing: Lock any car you leave in the driveway, or I can use your garage door opener to get in quickly.

#7 Don't Put Valuables in an Easy-Carry Case

I can carry that right out your back door. 

You may want to invest in a wall safe, which I rarely attempt to open. Or, rent a lock box at your bank.

It's quite likely that I'm a friend of a friend of yours in the interwebs. And through them, I may discover you're away for the week in Paris, having the time of your life. And I'll have the time of my life ransacking your place.

If only you had known that posting comments and photos of your trip on social networks is fine — as long as you do that after you return, so you won't broadcast your absence.

#9 Inviting People to Your Home to See Stuff You're Selling

You're downsizing. Great! Selling a bunch of stuff like TVs, computers, jewelry. I just have to call you up, and when you invite me to your home, I just grab the items and run.

It's called “robbery by appointment.” If you want to sell high-ticket items to strangers, I suggest you arrange to meet at the parking lot of your local police station. I definitely won’t show up, and you’ll still have your valuables.

For more tips, see our list of low-cost tricks to fool burglars. Did you know there's a gizmo that mimics the glow of a TV?

More in Finances & Taxes

Masa Media | What to do if the apartment was robbed

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than two thousand apartment thieves and 194 criminal groups have been detained in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year. Over the past five years, the number of burglaries has decreased by 33%, but most burglars use well-established schemes, as well as modern methods to break into apartments.

We tell you what to do if your apartment was robbed, where to go, and what rules and security measures you need to follow.

Contact the police

If you notice that the front door has been broken or deformed, dial 102 immediately. Otherwise, you can run into criminals or accidentally destroy important evidence.

Upon arrival, the police must inspect the apartment and collect data for further investigation.

Important: do not touch objects in the apartment until the forensic experts remove traces and fingerprints. Any changes in the layout of items can complicate investigative actions.

Robbery safety rules

If you noticed suspicious people in the elevator or saw thieves running away, try to remember them - what they looked like, what they were wearing, if there are any special signs in appearance.

If the robbers got into the car, write down the number, make and color of the car. Any detail can be important in identifying the perpetrators.

Track the intruders' route with the yard video surveillance. It is easier for operatives to catch criminals in hot pursuit.

Waking up from a rustle, did you notice that there was a stranger in the apartment? Do not try to stop the burglar yourself, he may be armed. Instead, try to determine the number of intruders, gender, and approximate age. And after they leave, call the police.

Selling stolen goods

Criminals are most often caught trying to sell stolen goods.

You can independently search for advertisements for the sale of equipment, furniture stolen from home, go to pawnshops. If you find a familiar item in a pawnshop or see it on a sales site, call the investigator and report it. He must help legally return the stolen item.

Receipt of insurance payment

Insured homeowners can apply to the insurance company for payment. To do this, you must provide an application for an insured event, a contract for voluntary property insurance, an identity card.

The amount of the insurance payment is specified in the contract. In some insurance companies, you can apply for an insured event online.

How to protect yourself from theft

Why dream of robbing an apartment. Dream interpretation robbery at work

To see that you have been robbed means to be robbed by the people closest to you.

If a person sees that he was robbed: this portends the loss of parents.

To see that you have been robbed portends the deprivation of a relative.

Interpretation of dreams from the Dream Interpretation of the meaning of dreams

Dream Interpretation - Robbery

Hello. Perhaps in your life there will be such a situation in which there will be a temptation to harm (do meanness) to a friend ... Do not give in! Pray more often and ask God for help to give you the strength to resist evil! If you are Orthodox, then often pray the Jesus Prayer "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" This prayer, said with faith, helps Christians. Life wisdom to you and strength of mind! And turn to God more often! Be close to Him! Save and save you, Lord! Yours faithfully, I.

Dream Interpretation - Robbery

Think about what destructive subconscious programs (malicious people) you regularly scroll through in your personal life (handbag). Their voices may sound something like this: I don't deserve better, because......., naturally, this happened to me, because I ...... / self-deprecating "because" is listed / Sister, how a symbol of embodied female luck. You do not value yourself, you allow dirty, rough hands to twist your soul. You need to understand that these voices are hostile to you, counteract them.

Interpretation of dreams from the Dream Interpretation of the House of the Sun

Dream Interpretation - Robbery

Dreams in which you encounter bandits, robbers or robbers openly speak of your fears for your physical and material well-being and distrust of the people who surround you. If in a dream you are trying to resist or run away, and you succeed, then your supply of vitality has not yet been exhausted and you are not threatened with big shocks in reality. But if such dreams are repeated too often, it means that your fears have reached a critical level. In this state, you can unwittingly attract real robbers with your behavior. Try to trust fate more and not be afraid of losses, especially since most of the losses in this life are either recoverable or inevitable anyway. For women, especially young ones, such dreams can portend a stormy love affair that will jeopardize their well-being.

Interpretation of dreams from the Dream Interpretation of the House of the Sun

Dream Interpretation - Robbery

Hello, Nailya! You saw an interesting dream, I will try to interpret it. Your dream indicates that you want to improve the conditions of your life in material terms. You have a claim for a higher paid position in your own field of activity, but you doubt whether it will suit you, whether this place is yours and whether your current age will interfere with this (this thought is carefully forced out of your consciousness and replaced by a calm thought of self-acceptance, since you kick out an elderly woman with a child, and she behaves surprisingly calmly). You understand that you need to change your life for the better right now, otherwise it may end in material need and purely female loneliness. Use your opportunities right now, your dream tells you! Good luck to you!!

Interpretation of dreams from the Dream Interpretation of the House of the Sun

There is no unequivocal answer to the question of why the robbery is dreaming.

On the one hand, this may be an inner fear, the dreamer's fears. On the other hand, such dreams indicate his self-doubt, isolation, and complexes.

A more detailed interpretation of such night dreams can be found if you remember all the nuances of sleep. What exactly was the object of the robbery?

1. Bank

If you dreamed of a bank robbery, it means that you are unhappy with your financial situation. You are very worried about the financial success of other people, perhaps even jealous of them.

To participate in a bank robbery - according to the dream book, means to quarrel with the management. Most likely, the conflict will occur due to financial issues. And if you dream that you are a bank employee who was robbed, then soon expect a significant increase in wages.

2. Apartment

Why dream of robbing an apartment? The disappearance of valuables from your home can be a dream when you are afraid of losing something. For example, you were entrusted with valuable documents or asked to transfer a large amount of money.

Try not to load your head with negativity. After all, if you constantly think about a possible loss, then thoughts can become reality.

A dream in which a robbery of an apartment was committed by friends or acquaintances indicates that excessive distrust of people prevents you from achieving the desired result. You are too suspicious, so many do not want to have anything in common with you. The dream book advises to relax and not to see an ill-wisher in every friend.

3. On the street

If in a dream you were robbed on the street, you can count on career advancement. Remember how the bandit acted.

If you dreamed that he abruptly snatched your bag from your hands, then good news about the promotion will come soon. And when in a dream you tried to resist the robber, this means that you need to work for a long time to get a new position.

To be a thief in a dream means to fail financially. In the near future, you should not invest in dubious cases.

You will most likely be fooled and never see your money again. Conduct financial transactions only with proven, reliable people.

4. Store

Robbing a store is often a dream before making a big financial profit. However, this is only possible if you do not commit any illegal acts. The only way to get paid is honestly. And for this you will need to work on the conscience.

If you dreamed of a robbery of a clothing store, then in your heart you are not satisfied with your appearance. The dream interpretation recommends not to complex, but if possible, try to change the appearance. Choose a new style of clothing, make an original hairstyle, buy fashionable shoes, etc.

According to the dream book, robbing an apartment, bank, store or other object in a dream is a sign that you must understand yourself and independently turn your life in a new direction. Author: Vera Fractional

Robbery, robbery - an attack with the aim of taking possession of the property of a potential victim, theft of funds using crude and primitive violent methods. A robbery in a dream means some internal conflict, which, quite possibly, continues in reality.

Scenes with violence, chases, beatings, robberies in a dream are the most frequent. Yet under a touch of civility, politeness and good manners, humanity remains at its core an aggressive and vicious savage tribe. And that's great. The ability to use violence, to achieve goals through overcoming, provides the very progress that takes us into space, makes us build, invent, master and conquer nature. Not a single humanistic idea carries a creative beginning.

If you dream that you are being robbed, this is an occasion to strengthen security measures, think over protection, take a closer look at the people who were involved in the robbery in your dream. If you rob, it is quite possible that you are really ready for the most extreme measures. Think about what you really want to get, and whether it is possible to get what you need with minimal risk, without direct impact.

Basically, a robbery dreams of money. Beggars are not afraid of robberies. Seeing a warning in a dream, you will be able to prepare for aggressive actions and prevent theft.

Strange dream robberies

Since a robbery is a sign of confusion, uncertainty, doubt, dreams often appear with an absurd mixture of plots, when robbers threaten, steal a car, try to negotiate “for good”, defiantly damage and break property, behave illogically and inconsistently.

In general, such dreams show a complex attitude towards oneself, neglect of material values ​​and at the same time a lack of funds, an internal struggle. You need to calm down, buy yourself ice cream, relax, go to the movies. If the dream continues to bother you, go to a psychologist and sort it out with a professional. Professional help is always a great time saver. Almost everything can be done on your own, but longer and worse.

Interpretations of robbery from authoritative sources

Conclusion

Robbery is a common plot of dreams, typical for difficult, turning points in life. Perhaps your outlook needs to change. Some people will lose your trust, you will make new friends and quite possibly enemies.

The best enemies are made from former friends who suddenly lose access to free benefits. Hold your tongue, don't talk too much.

If a person is familiar with the character whom he sees in a dream, then his actions that he performs in relation to the sleeping person often express intentions carefully concealed by this person. For example, if a close friend attacks in a dream, then in real life he also wants to achieve something from the dreamer.

What if you dream when you are robbed?

The art of interpretation is to understand what this person desires. An analysis of the details of a dream will come to the rescue here. If a friend attacks a sleeping person in order to take something away from him, then this item contains an important clue. If this is a watch, then a person close to the dreamer wants to ensure that they spend as much time together as possible. Simply put, he misses his friend. To understand why robbery is dreamed of, one should learn that an attack in a dream is a sign of close attention to the personality of the sleeping person in real life.

If in a dream you experience fear and panic when you are robbed, it means that in real life, when you meet this person, everything, on the contrary, will be wonderful. In the event that the attacker is unfamiliar, this is a sign that the sleeper will be offered to take part in a risky business.

Watching in a dream the actions of a criminal who robs another person, and not preventing this in any way means that there is such a trait in the character of the dreamer - the desire to profit at someone else's expense. With the help of such symbolism, the subconscious of a person reports that soon the sleeping person will have the opportunity to achieve success due to the dishonest elimination of an opponent. However, his conscience will torment him for a long time, despite his own inner assurances that everyone does this and there is nothing wrong with the meanness committed by the sleepers.

What portends?

If in a dream, when you are being robbed, trying to stop the villain and defeat the attacker, this is a sign that in real life, in some important matter, circumstances will turn out in the most favorable way. And the sleeper will be able to overcome all obstacles on the way to his goal. If the sleeper himself decided to take away valuables from someone and attracted his friends to this, it means that in the near future he will fail in business. If the sleeper personally takes away their things from passers-by in a dream, the dream informs that in real life he really wants to change his life for the better, and is looking for a way to do this.

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