Is your home at high risk of a break-in?

Haren Jayasinghe

Being the victim of a home break-in is a soul-destroying experience. It usually scars deeply as an intruder has violated your personal space and stolen your valuable possessions. According to all island crime statistics for 2009, house break-in is the most common crime in Sri Lanka. When all theft of possessions is considered it is nearly 70 percent of all reported crime for the entire nation. So if you are to be a victim of crime you are most likely to have your house broken into and your possessions stolen.

If you’ve been burgled in the past consider for a moment if there is a reason the thief targeted your house over your neighbours? Was it just a chance event? Coincidence perhaps? Just plain bad luck?

The truth may actually be rather shocking for you. You invited the thief in. By that I don’t mean you opened the door and let the thief in. Of course that does happen but much more rarely and it is usually associated with violent crime. What I do mean is that your home has the two qualities a thief is looking for. First, it’s quick to break into. Second, the thief can do so without drawing attention to the crime. In effect it is an open invitation to be broken into.

A thief has a primary motive. That is to not get caught. His secondary motive is to take your possessions. If he has to choose he would avoid getting caught and going to prison. He is then free to steal another time. So a thief will always choose a house that is easier to break into and as long as he thinks he will not get caught.

Most modern houses have tall gates or steel shutter garage doors and tall walls. Perhaps yours does too. These visible security measures obviously make the home owners feel more secure. What you must really consider is if a thief would be put off breaking in to your home because of them. Remember the saying locks only keep honest people out. Well most walls can be quickly climbed and shutters easily raised from the inside. So you should perhaps understand that your home may not be as secure as it first appears. Also what happens if you forget to lock the gate on your way out? What about if the thief just picks your padlock? Most padlocks are tumbler locks and can be picked in seconds with experience.

If the above description reminds you of your own home defences, this in security circles is called an ‘egg shell’ defence. Break the thin shell of security and the insides are quickly accessible. That is your jewellery and watches, cameras, laptops and other electric and electronic equipment, and most importantly your irreplaceable mementos are stolen and lost forever.

The best way to see why your house is vulnerable to intruders is to pretend to be an intruder yourself. Take a few moments and walk around your property and think of how you would break in to your house if you lost your keys and no one was at home to let you in. Consider if it would be easy or very difficult? You may be surprised by the answer if you think about it from a thief’s vantage.

As you walk round your house please do consider if there are blind spots a thief could hide in while he breaks in to your home. Also do consider if access to the inside of your home is easy to penetrate. Are your doors and windows really secure from break in? Do you keep your valuables on display to tempt a thief? What deterrents do you have to scare off potential intruders or to summon assistance in the event of a break in?

In security circles there is a saying that your house should be like an onion and not an egg. What it means is that you should have layers of security that an intruder will have to bypass to gain entry to your home.

In the next issue we will consider some simple yet effective measures to make your home more secure from intruders. Adopt them and I will guarantee that your home is less vulnerable to intruders. More importantly it will allow you to sleep at night and to leave your house during the day without the constant fear of attack by intruders.

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The writer is a surgeon from the UK.