Top 6 Items Stolen During a Home Burglary
Ever wonder which items are most common stolen during a home burglary? Some items, such as cash, are pretty obvious, but burglars are also looking for things they can sell or pawn.
We’ve compiled a list of the top 6 stolen items here:
Cash
It should come as no surprise that cash is among the most commonly stolen items during a home burglary. When a burglar breaks into a family’s home, they will often ransack the place in search of bills – including in your wallet or purse.
When compared to other items, cash is more difficult to trace back to its original owner, making it the ideal choice among burglars. And given the fact that nearly 43% of Americans keep their savings in cash, burglars will have plenty of opportunities to come away with the green.
Firearms
Burglars also love to steal pistols, shotguns, rifles and other firearms. The Bureau of Justice Statistics recently revealed that 172,000 firearms were stolen per year from 2005 to 2010. They either want them for their own protection, for use in committing further crimes or to sell them for quick cash.
This creates a disturbing problem for law enforcement agencies, as stolen guns used in crimes are traced back to the original owner instead of the criminal who perpetrated the act. if you are among the millions of gun-owning U.S. citizens, store your firearms in a heavy-duty safe to protect against burglary.
Electronics
Whether it’s a video game console, iPad, laptop, flat screen TV, sound bar, etc., burglars will grab virtually any electronic device they can get their hands on. Electronics are relatively easy to sell, with many pawn shops agreeing to buy them no questions asked.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to recover stolen electronics unless you have a record of its serial number — and the serial number is unique. This is why it’s a good idea to keep a record of all electronics and appliances inside your home. If they are ever stolen, you can reference the serial number to determine whether or not a particular item is yours if it turns up in a pawn shop.
Prescription Drugs
You might be surprised to learn that prescription drugs are a popular target among burglars. It may not sound as appealing as cash or high-dollar electronics, but many burglars steal prescription drugs to resell on the street.
So, what can you do to protect your medication from theft? Rather than storing it in obvious locations like the bathroom mirror or kitchen cabinet, consider hiding it in a discreet area of your home. You can use soda bottles or shaving cream cans with false bottoms to store prescription drugs (or cash, jewelry and other small valuables).
Jewelry
From antique rings and gold necklaces to pearl earrings and diamond tennis bracelets, burglars will scour a home in a search of jewelry. Jewelry is small, easy to conceal and relatively easy to resell on the black market. Furthermore, if a burglar is worried about getting caught, they may melt down the metal before selling the stolen jewelry, at which point it’s impossible to identify.
Power Tools
No, burglars aren’t DIYers — they want to sell your power tools. Whether it’s gardening tools such as weed whackers, leaf blowers, and lawn mowers or power tools such as drills and saws, these items end up in pawnshops all over the U.S. Some even end up on eBay or Craigslist.
Try not to leave your garage door open for long — otherwise you’re giving passing potential thieves a sneak peak — beyond power tools, this could include bikes, skis and other recreational equipment. If you have a shed, keep it locked.
Prevention Is Best
Of course, the best bet is to prevent burglars from targeting your home. Take simple precautions such as always keeping your doors and windows locked, install motion sensor lights outside and make sure your yard isn’t providing hiding places.
Burglars are always looking for easy targets. At Cultris Security Systems, we can make your home a target burglars decide to skip. Contact us today at 281-506-8466 or visit us online!
Image attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wavingatyou/
