There is no doubt that the favourite time of year for burglars is winter. Research has shown that homes are 50 per cent more likely to be broken into in the winter months, with the ten most common dates for burglaries all being in November and December.
It is not hard to find reasons for this. Christmas provides rich pickings for house-breakers because there are often lots of new gifts in mint condition waiting to be wrapped up as presents – or even sitting under the tree. In addition, people are often away from home socialising in the evenings as Christmas approaches, or go away for the big day itself.
Not only does this provide great opportunities, but the winter nights offer more chances to sneak around without being spotted.
Christmas may have come and gone, but the rest of winter still provides cold, dark conditions to help burglars hide and they will often be unseen because people venture out less when the temperatures are low.
For that reason, as February brings the last weeks of winter and the days start to get noticeably lighter, some may breathe a sigh of relief and think their chances of getting burgled are receding.
However, while it is statistically less likely you may have your home broken into as winter draws to an end and spring comes around, the risk still remains. So those who did not get around to getting a burglar alarm fitted during the winter should still go ahead and get one now.
There are many reasons for this, the simplest one being that burglars are not going to take the rest of the year off. They may not have the advantage of winter darkness and the incentive of Christmas goodies, but opportunities will arise for them and they will be looking out for them throughout the year.
Obvious threats include holidays, which is why crime prevention websites offer tips on how to keep your home as secure as possible when you go away. February will bring half term and some will go away, while others will do so when spring arrives and the Easter break comes around, especially as it is fairly late this year (Easter Sunday is April 20th).
If this risk applies in spring, it will be even more important in summer, when people are most likely to go away for extended periods. If half your street is off on holiday in August, there will be fewer eyes to spot the burglars and they know it.
Summer does bring one kind of burglary that an alarm on your house may not stop, which is when garden tools are stolen in summer. Often this does not even require someone to break into your shed or greenhouse, as during sunny spells some folk can leave them out because there is a dry forecast, ready to resume gardening the next day.
Sadly, in such cases, those tools can often end up being used in someone else’s garden. This shows that burglars will be looking out for opportunities throughout the year – which is why you can’t be complacent as winter ends.
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