Break & Enter Prevention

Residential “Break-Ins” are Becoming Increasingly Common

While it is common for people to think that thieves randomly pick and choose which houses to break into, thieves have become much more organized and have started to plan out their targets well in advance, learning their habits and when they are not home. You can minimize your risk by practicing the personal safety and crime prevention strategies outlined below.

Thieves Set Distractions

Thieves have started to set distractions to either lure people outside of their locked doors or keep them at their gates, while others go inside houses and steal valuable items. Examples of common distractions and lure tactics include, turning on outside taps at night, knocking loudly at odd hours of the night, engaging people in long face to face conversations, that usually do not make sense, at their gates, looking for people who are not residents of the household, and, asking for assistance in a made-up scenario

Home Safety Starts With You

Detection in Your Neighbourhood

• Get to know your neighbours and people around your neighbourhood
• Keep your ears and eyes open for suspicious vehicles and people around your home, or loitering around streets and buildings
• Do not confront possible suspects, as they may react unpredictably
• Record the license plate numbers and description of suspicious vehicles as well as their occupants
• Report your concerns and observations immediately to the Police

Reducing Your Risk

• Mark your property with a unique identifier. This may discourage theft of valuables and will provide an easy way to identify stolen property
• Write down, or list, the items of value in your home or office (including the serial numbers written on the items) on paper or make a video recording and download it to a safe and easily retrieved place that is unlikely to be lost or stolen. This will make it easier to track down stolen items as thieves would not be able to claim that they owned the item previously when caught, or in the event that your stolen property is sold
• Consider installing a home security system
• When going on a long trip, do not announce your absence on social media (e.g. Facebook) as thieves may see this as an opportunity to target your home.
• Verify the identities of sales and service workers. When contacting the business directly, use the phone number supplied on their website or official documents and advertisements, not a number the person at the door provides
• Do not hide duplicates of keys for your maid/worker in places you think are secret, as thieves and junkies know where to look. Instead leave the duplicate with a trusted person such as close friend, relative or neighbour, if you cannot trust your worker to keep the duplicate keys safely

If a Crime Has Occurred 

• Police (9-3-3) should be called if there is a crime in progress or an immediate threat to the safety of persons or property.
• If you arrive at your home and suspect there has been a break-in do NOT enter – the criminal may still be inside.
• Go at once to a neighbour and call the Police immediately.
• Do NOT touch anything or clean up until the Police have inspected for evidence. • Note the license number of any suspicious vehicle

Protecting Your Home

• Make sure exterior doors are made of a solid and strong material
• Install a good quality lock on your main inside door and your grill door.
• Secure sliding glass doors with bars, locks, or put an object in the door track. Burglars look for sliding glass doors because they are the easiest to open
• Keep the garage and tool shed locked. Do not give a burglar easy access to resources that they can use to break into your home
• Remove all obstructions in your yard that could conceal a burglar breaking into your house
• Limit access to out of reach windows, lower roofs, second story windows and balconies. Lock up ladders and other objects that can be used as platforms whenever possible. Watch for large, overhanging tree limbs that may provide a means of access
• Ask a trusted neighbour to use your driveway or parking space when leaving the house for extended periods
• If you are away, make sure that your residence looks like it is occupied. Have the yard cleaned, grass cut etc. Set the lights to come on and off at different intervals or leave the outside lights on when you leave the house
• Make “would-be” thieves visible, install motion lights or leave an exterior light on to illuminate entranceways and rear yards