Seasonal Crime Trends

While a home break-in can occur at any time, there is one period of the year where the risk increases: summer. According to Bureau of Justice statistics, the burglary rate is approximately 10.5 percent higher in the summer than the winter, the least active home burglary season. The reasons home crime spikes during the summer include:

Vacations: Summer is the time when a lot of folks go away on vacation, which leaves their home unoccupied for several days or even weeks. Opportunistic burglars are aware of this as well and will “case” neighborhoods to determine when the homeowners are away.

Spending More Time Outdoors: Even when people aren’t on vacation, they tend to spend more time outdoors during the summer months. This can involve going to the park with the kids, taking day trips to the mountains, beach or neighborhood swimming pool or attending ball games and concerts. Burglars are also out and about and on the lookout for opportunities to ply their trade.

Leaving Doors and Windows Open: In the earlier summer months, many homeowners will keep their doors and windows open to catch the cooling breezes. Unfortunately, some homeowners neglect to close them when leaving to go to work or the store, which gives burglars easy access.

How to Protect Your Home During Summer

Implementing a proactive approach to summertime home security can prevent you from becoming the target of a burglar. Steps to take include:

Maintain a Human Presence: Most burglars obviously want to avoid encounters with people. If you’re planning on being away for several days, arrange to have a trusted friend, neighbor or relative stop by at least once a day so the home maintains a human presence. If your budget allows, consider hiring a house sitter to stay at your home around the clock.

Stop Deliveries: If you can’t have someone stop by or stay in your home, at least be sure to stop all mail, newspaper and package deliveries until you return. A pile of newspapers on the porch is a telltale sign to a burglar that the house is unoccupied.

Keep Up the Landscaping: If you’re going to be away for a couple of weeks or longer, hire someone to cut the grass and take care of your landscaping. A neglected property is an open invitation to a would-be thief.

Don’t Broadcast Your Trip: You might be so excited about your upcoming vacation that you want to tell the world about it on social media. However, you could be tipping off a burglar that you’ll be away. Wait until after you return to make your friends jealous by sharing your stunning vacation pics on Facebook!

Titan Alarm Can Minimize Your Risk During Home Burglary Season

If you live in the Phoenix area, Titan Alarm can provide a reliable home security system to protect against the increase in the summer seasonal crime rates — and keep you and your family safe throughout the year. Contact us for more information or to schedule a free in-home security consultation today.

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Updated by Titan Alarm on November 5, 2018.