Holding an open house exposes every square inch of a home to anyone who crosses the threshold. Most times it will be people you want to be there – potential buyers or tenants. But what if some of the ‘sticky-beaks’ simply want to see what’s there? Bruce de Graaf has researched the break-and-enter statistics and has some advice on helping your clients maintain their security.
Unfortunately, not everyone who comes to view the home is a prospective buyer.
There is a group of people you do not want turning up at the open house. You don’t necessarily know who they are, but they may make their presence felt at any time. These are the ones who breeze into your client’s open house to see what the home contains and note the weakest points, best areas of concealment and the easiest way to break in.
In light of this, you need to work with your client to create as many attractors as possible to make ‘real’ buyers your audience. On the flip side, however, you also need to create as many detractors as possible to ensure that the home is considered too hard for those who attend the open house with a view to break, enter and steal.
MOTIVATION AND OPPORTUNITY
The impetus to commit a crime is made up of two elements: motivation and opportunity. For most residential break, enter and steal events, both elements must be in place in order for the crime to occur.
I’ve researched BOCSAR (Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research) 2013 for statistics on residential break, enter and steal incidents to find what attracts an intruder to a residential property and what, conversely, detracts them.
The motivations of residential break and enter offenders in NSW appear to have changed little in the last 15 years. Consistent with BOCSAR’s 1998 study, drugs continue to be a primary motivator for offenders. Intruders have seen their earnings rise and are now estimating windfall of around $2,000 per week compared to $1,680 in 1998.
Break, enter and steal events are more likely to occur during the settlement period, prior to the key handover and also after your new owners have moved in
A presentation at the Applied Research in Crime and Justice Conference 2013 highlighted the results of a collaborative study between the NSW Attorney General’s office and NSW Corrective Services. Andrew Webber and Emma Worthington presented the results of their comprehensive Residential Break and Enter Offender Study. They interviewed 229 offenders at 17 correctional centres, with a 66 per cent response rate.
WHAT ATTRACTS INTRUDERS TO A RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY?
The study confirmed that the elements most likely to draw offenders were cues that indicate the home is wealthy, such as its location in an affluent suburb, or those that make it accessible and also easy to get away from – for example, a nearby laneway or easy access to the back door.
Tall fences, privacy screens and hedges or other trees that allow intruders to stay out of sight were also attractive to burglars.
‘It looked like no one was home’ was the reason for over 27 per cent of offenders, closely followed by knowledge of the goods inside (25.4 per cent of offenders).
What is clear is that knowing what they’re going to get is important for burglars; awareness of the goods inside, finding places that looked wealthy or even knowing the people who live there (and the goods they own) make places targets. For others, opportunity is important; an open door or window, or a home that looked easy to enter, were primary motivations behind their most recent break-ins.
An open house may be one way for a burglar to be anonymous and survey the property in its entirety. Every nook, cranny, cupboard and wardrobe can be opened if there is not proper supervision.
Home features can be laid bare. These people could now potentially know what is there; they have the floorplan and have identified the weakest points. Break, enter and steal events are more likely to occur during the settlement period, prior to the key handover and also after your new owners have moved in.
SO WHAT DISCOURAGES AN OFFENDER?
Motivation may be there, but it is possible to reduce or eliminate the opportunity. According to the BOCSAR study, the detractors were indications that the home was occupied, such as noise, CCTV, alarms, dogs and cars in the driveway; other deterrents were features that made it difficult to gain entry, such as bars on windows and doors or apartments on upper floors.
Most offenders appeared extremely hesitant to break into any home that might be occupied.
Several offenders specifically mentioned that people being present in the home was important because it could lead to an aggravated break and enter charge, which carries a lengthier sentence.
Burglars don’t want to invest time and energy in crime if the risks of being caught are high and the returns are low.
HAPPY OPEN HOUSE
Your advice to your client is invaluable, particularly during the process of setting up and going through the open house and the period following. Work with them to ensure that the home gives the overt appearance of being too much risk for the reward.
It is no accident that burglars often target certain houses, which is why it is important to have this discussion with your seller and your eventual buyer; it shows that you care. Advise and guide your clients to keep security subtle but visible. The siren box on the eaves highlights there is an alarm and legitimate security stickers on the exterior also made it look ‘too hard’. Evidence of CCTV cameras is also a deterrent, but with stickers less is more. Strategic placement of signage is sometimes better than splashing it everywhere depending on the home and the area.
Your local police are also ready to help if needed. Officers in your Local Area Command (LAC) are up to date and aware of all crime in your area; they are also there to reduce crime, they are a free resource and they are not trying to sell anything. The Crime Prevention Officer in each command has had special training in Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). They are keen to engage.
The name of the game is to increase the detractors and decrease the attractors. You’ll find that this will help to keep the break, enter and steal statisticians from adding your clients to their list.
Happy open house.
Bruce de Graaf is a Licensed Security Expert at Rage Security. He is a 25-year veteran of the Electronic Security Industry. In addition, he is a heavily engaged Rotarian, and Past President of the Rotary Club of Crows Nest.
Note: Updated 2/11/16
Bruce followed-up with us a week after this article was published, and after being at an open home, sent us this photo. Can you spot the problem?
Background photo credit: nachans via Visualhunt.com / CC BY
