You’ve probably seen a heist movie where the thieves use elaborate plans and sophisticated tools to achieve their goals. Although these scenarios are mostly Hollywood fiction, many thieves and burglars use tools when breaking and entering homes.
Tools make it easier for burglars to enter your property and put those inside at greater risk. It’s important to know the types of tools these criminals like to use, so you can better reinforce your home and prevent a break-in from occurring.
What Are the Most Common Burglary Tools?
Over 95% of home burglaries involve forced entry. Forced entry indicates that there was physical damage to your property during the break-in. More likely than not, burglaries are not using their bare hands to achieve this destruction. They often use tools to gain entry and break open items inside. Some of the most common burglar tools include:
- Crowbars
- Lockpicks
- Master Keys
- Screwdrivers
- Hammers
- Bolt Cutters
- Wire Cutters
- Torches (for cutting through metal)
As you can see, most of these items can also be used a weapon. If you ever suspect a break-in while you’re home, you should never engage the intruders directly unless it’s a last resort. The best course of action is to flee and call authorities. There’s no way of knowing in advance what these criminals are carrying and how they would react if they spot you or a family member.
Secure Entryways with Smart Locks
The first step to preventing a home break-in is securing your entryways. About 30% of break-ins involve a robber entering through an unlocked door or window. The last thing you want to do is make the job easier for them. Just locking your doors and windows can decrease the chances of a break-in.
Additionally, smart locks make lockpicking and master keys obsolete because they provide keyless entry. Open smart locks in person with a keypad, or remotely via a smartphone or IoT device. You can also receive immediate alerts if someone forcefully enters through the door.
Keyless entry is a great first line of defense. But if thieves come with heavier equipment, such as crowbars, bolt cutters, or hammers, a locked door or window probably won’t be enough to stop them from entering. However, there is an effective way to scare them off if they make it inside.
Frighten Intruders with a Security System
According to a group of burglaries who were caught, they indicated that a triggered alarm system was the most effective at getting them to leave the premises immediately. An alarm is a clear threat to their presence. And if they’re unable to find the control panel quickly, they’ll likely cut their loses and leave before authorities arrive.
Most burglars commit break-ins when nobody is home. But when you have a smart home security system, you can receive immediately alerts directly to your smart phone. You can then quickly access your home security cameras to assess the situation. A home break-in should automatically trigger an alert to authorities. However, you should also call personally to ensure they’re on their way.
