With autumn approaching, burglars everywhere will be looking forward to the opportunities that will be presented to them by the dark nights and the fact that fewer people will be outdoors, making it harder to spot them sneaking about as the temperature drops.
Every part of the year indeed poses a risk of burglary. For example, in summer, garden tool thefts are common as many people leave items out overnight when it is dry, while some homes may be vulnerable while the householders are away on holiday.
When autumn arrives, you are less likely to be on holiday, you won’t be leaving your windows open to keep the house cool (another summer risk factor) and the garden tools may be securely locked away in the shed.
Why Do Burglars Love The Autumn?
However, the season brings other opportunities for house-breakers: Shorter daylight hours mean more opportunities to sneak around unseen, especially after the clocks go back in October.
- When darkness falls and the lights stay off, that is a clear sign nobody is at home.
- The colder and darker weather means fewer people are outdoors who might spot burglars sneaking around.
- It is easier to establish when householders are routinely in or out based on when the lights are on.
- As Christmas approaches, people will increasingly stock up on gift shopping, providing more tempting targets.
These factors all favour the burglars, which means you may need to take action to make your home more secure.
What Are The Security Benefits Of Burglar Alarms?
Burglar alarms are the most obvious step you can take. These can deter burglars altogether and, if they do break in, they may swiftly flee empty-handed if the alarm goes off. Mostly, though, they will opt to target another home that doesn’t have an alarm instead.
However, to be effective as a deterrent, the alarm needs to be visible, so the robbers can see it and decide to leave your home alone.
There are several other steps you can take to further reduce the risk of a burglary:
- Install security lighting outside the home that can be triggered by movement
- Put stronger locks on doors and windows that cannot easily be forced open
- Do not leave valuables where they can be seen easily through the window, especially when you start Christmas shopping.
The biggest danger of all is complacency. The good news is that the number of burglaries has dropped markedly in recent years. For example:
- In 2002-03, there were 890,000 burglaries in England and Wales
- In 2012-13, it was 459,800, the first time this century it had fallen below 500,000
- It has been below 300,000 a year in each of the last six years, with 2025-26 seeing 223,500 cases.
These figures may be interpreted as suggesting that fewer burglars are roaming the streets looking for opportunities. However, even if that is the case, this still indicates that greater awareness of the risks and more concerted action to thwart and deter them have worked.
Even with these lower figures, there are still enough burglaries taking place to show that people cannot let their guard down. Installing a burglar alarm could be a great starting point in making your home safer this autumn.
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