Do Burglars Come Back? Debunking A Famous Burglary Tactic

If you have been the victim of a home burglary once before, you may have been told that your home is likely to be targeted again.

To most people that's counter intuitive, you'd have to be incredibly unlucky to be the victim of multiple burglaries, right?

Do burglars come back to the same house twice?

A confused.com survey revealed that more than one in six (17%) of burglary victims had fallen prey to being burgled three times or more, and 65% of those in the same property!

Surprisingly, it's not uncommon for the second crime to be committed by the original burglar! He believes that, if he was able to break in without being caught the first time, he can surely do it again.

He already knows the exit and entry routes, the floor plan and is smart enough to wait until the items he stole have been replaced...

In fact, he can reasonably assume that the items he took previously are going to be replaced with even more expensive and modern things because of the insurance settlement you received.

What motivates burglars to come back and put themselves at risk?

It all depends on the individual. A less experienced thief may be happy with his pickings and too paranoid to return. On the other hand, the seasoned professional is confident he won't be caught, so he strikes again.

Here are a few motives that may prompt a burglar to return:

He knows that you are not expecting to be robbed again in such a short time frame. The unpredictability gives him power.
Now he knows the weak spots in your home, the second burglary will run smoothly and he can draw even less attention.
Valuables may have been left in a rush the first time, but he knows where you are most likely to hide them so he can return and find them without having to search.
There may now be a buyer for the items that were seen but not taken during the first burglary.
The burglar is ruthless - he has no compassion for your family. He doesn't care if they are terrified in their own home. He only sees your prized personal possessions as easy cash.

Certain, less confident criminals may not risk breaking and entering your house again. But if they notice an easy target, an unsecured shed or summer house in your garden, they may return to ransack that.

Do burglars come back after a failed attempt?

When a burglar fails at his first attempt, there is every chance he will come back with a better action plan.

In his mind, he had a good reason for targeting your home in the first place. A small set back when attempting to break in won't put him off returning.

There are a number of things that could have gone wrong:

Your back door / windows were locked and more secure than he anticipated. He makes a mental note to come back with a crowbar.
He was disturbed. Perhaps, your neighbours returned home at the moment of entry. To avoid unwanted attention, he flees and saves his plans for another day.
The time is not right. Maybe your street is too busy. Too many prying eyes make a break-in too risky!
Change of plans. Based on your daily routines, he thought you would be out but the house is occupied - abort mission!
At first glance, he is scared off by your cheap dummy alarm / cctv system... but strikes again when he comes to learn it's a fake knockoff and your home is unprotected.

It makes your skin crawl but it's a sad fact... checking out the lay of the land is all part of the job for a burglar. If the time is not right, or if he gets disturbed, there's always another day.

Stop burglars from targeting your home with an intruder alarm

Unfortunately, most people are happy to put their home at risk and save a bit of money by not investing in a quality, home burglar alarm system. This is a huge mistake.

For homeowners without contents insurance, the cost of having to replace all of the lost items and repair the damage after the break in far outweighs the cost of investing in a home security system.

That's why we urge everyone to protect their home with an intruder alarm.

A Micromark survey revealed that:

"94% of people feel home security is important, yet 55% of people surveyed did not have an alarm or CCTV, despite the fact that burglars say these are two of the most effective deterrents."

Whether you have been burgled before or not, you shouldn't take any chances with the safety of your family.