5 burglars’ secrets revealed

Posted 19 February, 2020 Jeremy Rochow

South Australians need to be vigilant and keep their homes secure following a staggering 15% increase in home break-ins during 2018–19.   It goes without saying you should lock your doors and windows and keep valuables out of sight. But thieves can be smarter than that. We reveal a few lesser-known mistakes you could be making that burglars often take advantage of, so you can stay ahead of the game.  

1. Locking your valuables in your drawers

You might think your valuables are safe in a locked drawer. Unfortunately, it’s likely to be one of the first places thieves will look. When an intruder notices a drawer is locked, they’ll know they’ve hit the jackpot. That flimsy wooden drawer can probably be opened easily with a crowbar.  

2. Hiding valuables in your wardrobe

Wardrobes can be gold mines for thieves, yet many people still think it’s safe to hide valuables among their clothes. Unfortunately, it won’t take long for a thief to rummage through your clothes and plunder what they find.  

3. Binning your boxes

You’ve just installed your new flat-screen TV and the box is now sitting in front of your house, waiting to go in the bin. Bad move. It could give opportunistic thieves an indication of the expensive goods sitting in your house. Instead, it’s good practice to break up your boxes and put them in the recycling bin.    

4. Leaving your keys near the front door

The first thing many people do when they get home from work is to drop their keys in a dish or on a table near the door. Think twice. A burglar could take one step into your house, pick up your car keys and leave immediately. In 2015, 2 thieves in England were caught using fishing rods to steal people’s car keys from near their front doors, via a window.  

5. Not securing your safe

A safe will help keep your valuables secure, however it needs to be bolted to the ground. If it isn’t, and it’s light enough for one or two people to carry, it could be stolen. You should install the safe where thieves will least expect to find it. Some suggestions include putting a wall safe behind a bookshelf or concealing it in the kitchen. Not many intruders are going to browse your collection of Harry Potter books or make themselves a ham and cheese toastie in the kitchen.