A police officer has revealed a simple yet often overlooked habit that could prevent homes from becoming targets for burglars. According to security experts and former burglars, many households unknowingly expose themselves to risk through everyday oversights, from leaving curtains open at night to neglecting basic lighting precautions1, 3, 6. These findings align with broader research on burglary prevention, which emphasizes how small adjustments can significantly reduce vulnerability.
Visibility and Opportunity: The Burglar’s Playbook
Burglars typically spend less than a minute scouting a property before deciding whether to target it3, 4. Key factors include exposed valuables (e.g., electronics or jewelry visible through windows), unsecured entry points like sliding doors or weak locks, and signs of inactivity such as piled-up mail1, 8, 10. One former burglar noted,
“If it takes more than a few minutes to break in, we move on”
4. This highlights the importance of making properties appear time-consuming or risky to enter.
Practical Mitigation Strategies
To harden a home against intrusion, experts recommend a layered approach:
- Exterior Security: Install motion-activated lighting, trim shrubs near windows, and reinforce doors with deadbolts (using 3-inch screws on strike plates)3, 5, 7.
- Behavioral Adjustments: Close curtains at night, avoid sharing travel plans on social media, and use light timers to simulate occupancy10.
- Community Measures: Neighborhood watch programs have been shown to reduce burglaries by over 30%9.
Technical Relevance to Security Professionals
While residential security may seem tangential to cybersecurity, the principles of target selection and deterrence mirror tactics used in penetration testing and threat mitigation. For instance, burglars’ preference for low-effort targets parallels attackers’ reliance on unpatched systems or weak credentials. Similarly, visible deterrents like alarms align with the use of logging and monitoring tools to discourage malicious activity.
Key parallels include:
| Residential Security | Cybersecurity Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Unlocked doors/windows | Open ports or default credentials |
| Motion-activated lights | Intrusion detection systems (IDS) |
| Neighborhood watch | Threat intelligence sharing |
Conclusion
Protecting a home from burglary requires a combination of physical safeguards and behavioral awareness—much like securing a network. By addressing low-hanging fruit (e.g., lighting, locks, and social media habits), homeowners can significantly reduce their risk profile. For professionals, these insights underscore the universal importance of reducing attack surfaces and increasing the cost of exploitation, whether in physical or digital environments.
References
- “Curtains/open windows risk,” London Loves Property, 2025.
- “Comprehensive home security checklist,” Tulane Public Safety.
- “Burglar interviews,” YouTube, 2013.
- “Police warning on curtains,” Hobbs Online News, 2025.
- “Survey of 86 burglars,” KTVB, 2019.
- “Vacation safety tips,” Insurance Information Institute (III), 2012.
