While we are witnessing an upsurge in home burglaries in Luxembourg, it is clear that many homes do not have any effective and dissuasive protection system. However, you don't have to have been a victim of a theft to think about it!

Nearly 1500 burglaries per year

During the first six months of the year, 1,492 burglaries or attempted burglaries were committed on Luxembourg territory. This phenomenon is on the rise, given that this type of crime was committed 2,413 times during the entire previous year. Thieves generally attack inhabited houses. In the first half of 2011, 58% of burglaries took place in private homes. Many of these burglaries, whose perpetrators are rarely found, could have been prevented by installing an effective electronic alarm system by a professional. And no, you don't have to have been burgled to think about it...

These unwanted visitors are not gentlemen and don't leave their business cards. Not to mention the fact that the forensic experts, whom everyone watches on television, will never come to your house for a "vulgar" burglary. In short, prevention, apart from the daily gestures inspired by prudence and common sense, is above all a matter for specialists, aware of the available technologies.

Did you know? Statistics show that 34% of burglars simply enter through the main door of the house, 22% through the back door, 23% through a ground floor window and 9% through the garage. Only 4% of these unannounced visitors will pass through the cellar via a window well and 2% via an upper floor window. If we add it all up, that leaves 6 % of thieves who will use any unlocked access or simply empty your garden shed.

Good habits to adopt

Burglars basically fall into two categories: professionals and amateurs. The difference? The equipment used. The "pros" are more likely to target shops and warehouses that can provide them with a large amount of loot in one go, but which require professional preparation and resources.

The amateur is content with simple tools (screwdrivers, pliers, wedges, etc.) and it seems that he gives up trying to break in after 3 minutes. However, it is these amateur burglars who are responsible for most of the break-ins in our homes. Fortunately, there are many ways to protect your property and prevent a burglary attempt. Not only do you save yourself the trauma that such a mishap inevitably causes, but you can be sure that your insurer will not refuse to compensate you on the grounds that you lacked foresight.

69.4% of burglaries take place through the rear side of the house, which is generally less well protected and where the burglar is less visible. If the burglar is not disturbed, he has plenty of time to "work" out of sight of neighbours or passers-by and will always manage to get into the house. If, however, he does not manage to do so within a very short time, he will prefer to give up.

The obstacles designed to discourage the thief from attempting to break in are not intended to make it impossible to break in (you should turn your house into a real safe), but to extend the time it takes to get into your home at an affordable price.

Good habits should be adopted if you want to keep your house safe. Never put the key under the mat, always lock the windows and doors, do not keep money, bank cards in the same place, etc. Organisational measures such as these cost nothing, but are often forgotten. However, they are the first and essential step in a good security programme.

Marc Vandermeir

Read the full report in atHomemagazine - October 2011 edition (available in MPK bookshops)