Today’s Washington Post (See Burglaries Have Surged 21 Percent) reported a significant increase in Washington DC home burglaries for 2008. While this could be a “blip” it likely reflects the slowing economic trend and its impact on crime.

A number of studies correlate economic conditions with burglaries. A recent article in the Yale Daily News quotes Steven Rafael — an economist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley as saying “Property crimes are the one set of crimes that consistently are impacted by the economy.”

A large portion of the burglaries reported are taking place during the day when people would typically be at work. Consider this in the precautions you take. Some steps you can take:

1. Make sure all doors and windows are locked when you leave.
2. As much as possible keep valuables out of sight from ground floor windows and doors.
3. If there is a neighbor who is home during the days keep in touch with them and make sure they have your cell or daytime number. If they see suspicious activity ask them to call you.
4. Your alarm system is worthless if you don’t use it. Arm the system whenever you are home for an extended period or away even for even a few minutes. A major advantage of an alarm system is so that you know there is no one in the house when you return. Walking in on a burglary is the quickest way to turn a nonviolent crime into a violent one.
5. Alarm systems have a delay to allow you to enter the home and disarm the system. This delay can give a burglar plenty of time to get in and out with something valuable. Make sure your alarm system is armed with the shortest possible delay. If you have a remote keychain for your alarm system have it setup with no delay and disarm the system before you enter the home.
6. Consider installing a webcam so you can view your home while away or at work. Our web dashboard has integrated video. You can automatically receive a text message/email and view video of your property in real time to see what’s cooking.

With the increased focus on home security it is important to focus on factors that will have an impact on deterring burglaries. Your alarm system is part of the equation but attention to many factors will ultimately be the most effective strategy.

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