Think Your Home Is Safe? Think Again!

We got the chance to sit down with Scraps (not his real name), a retired professional thief, who has broken into more than 1000 homes in his career. The police have never arrested him for any of these burglaries. Here he shares some valuable secrets and tips that will make it much harder for a burglar to break into your home.

Don’t underestimate daylight - Most burglaries occur between 10am and 3pm. Scraps says with kids at school and more dual working parents, daytime is the preferred time for a thief to break in. Plus, less people suspect home robberies during the day.

Let your dog bark - Scraps says that he was more afraif of the bark than he was of the bite. That’s right, those little yappy dogs are a great prevention of theft.

Put away the toys - Toys left in the garden create a target for your house. Scraps told us that this is a tell-tale sign that a woman lives in the house. And women equal jewellery.

Invest in a home security system - Burglars are three times more likely to break into a house without a security system. Scraps never broke into a home with a security system. “There are so many other homes without them that make easy targets, so why would I have taken the extra risk?” he tells us.

Trim those bushes - Any sort of protection, like trees or bushes, covering your windows allows a burglar to break them without being detected. Scraps tells us he loved the extra coverage for hiding.

Don’t announce when you’re not home - Social media is great, but don’t announce when you’re on vacation or at work! Fake that someone is home. Make your house appear like there is someone at home. Leave lights on, or better yet, use timers for lights, TVs, radios and anything else that would create noise.

Hide valuables in your kitchen - Scraps tells us this was the last place he’d look for valuables. “I never went into a kitchen” he tells us. That’s because kitchens are in the middle of the house and there’s too much going on.