NCJ Number
145446
Journal
Security Distributing and Marketing Dated: (April 1992) Pages: 68- 69
Date Published
1992
Length
2 pages
Annotation
The authors discuss factors that make homes vulnerable to burglary.
Abstract
A survey was conducted in three Philadelphia suburbs from 1989 to 1991, to determine how burglars choose their targets. Respondents (n=766) were residents who had been burglarized within the prior 2 1/2 years, randomly selected alarm owners, or controls who did not own an alarm and had not been burglarized. Burglars select a neighborhood, then a street, then a specific property. Accessibility is the most important consideration. Being located within three blocks of a major thoroughfare makes a home twice as likely to be burglarized; in these areas, an alarm system reduces risk by more than two. Isolation and expensiveness also are risk factors. Among all homes, particularly vulnerable are townhomes (eight times more likely), especially end units (18 times more likely). Even with an alarm, cul de sac homes are 2.2 times more likely to be burglarized than are homes in general. Contrary to popular belief, homes near youth- gathering places and in areas of high pedestrian traffic are not attractive to burglars. Burglar are not particularly imaginative in deciding on point of entry--70 percent enter through the front or back door. Effective deterrents include a car in the driveway, an alarm company sign in the yard, exterior and interior lights, a deadbolt lock, and an alarm system. Surprisingly, results indicate that dogs are not much of a deterrent. 3 figures