We recently watched a TikTok by a reformed cat burglar (widely reported on in news outlets) where she describes the mental checklist she used to pick targets. Her account is unnerving because it’s so methodical — and because the tactics are easy to defend against if you know what to look for. And a lot of what she talked about is also what we’ve seen from burglars and thieves in this country too. So today, we’re going to explain how burglars think, and then turn each point into some concrete, homeowner-friendly countermeasures you can put into place to protect your home.

The Burglar’s Mental Checklist

First, let’s take a look at the main patterns a burglar looks for when deciding if a house was worth targeting, and what they needed to make it a good option.

Weather: Believe it or not, the weather has a big influence on whether or not a burglar decides to strike. If it’s a nice, bright, sunny day it means that people are likely to be out and about in their gardens, working on their houses and looking through windows. So they look for foggy, rainy or nasty weather, because it means that people are more likely to stay indoors. Water coating the windows means people are less likely to look out of their windows, or notice suspicious activity happening outside.

Lines of sight & cover: Tall hedges, privacy fences, dense landscaping are perfect for helping a burglar hide when they need to. Either when they’re physically breaking in, or when they’re making their getaway. They obscure line of sight and make it difficult for them to be spotted. Along the same lines, quiet streets, cul-de-sacs and houses backing onto roads provide easy and quick escape options.

Time of day: A lot of people think that burglars only strike in the dead of night, while everyone’s asleep. But this is the least likely time for a theft to happen! Burglars tend to prefer there to be no one in the house when they hit, so they aim for mid -morning and mid-afternoon windows. When people are at work, on the school run, or otherwise out of the house are known as ‘prime time’.

Alarm signage: Against all odds, many burglars actually look for visible alarm stickers or signs. While they’re a great deterrent for many, some see them as a sign that there’s something inside worth stealing. As long as the thief things they can work around the system. This is one of the reasons we suggest only putting signage up if you actually have a security system in place – and a robust one at that.

Pets: Interestingly, burglars are also looking for signs that you have pets in the house. Specifically, cats or dogs – the types of animals that would be roaming around the property freely. There’s a very simple reason for this – free roaming pets means that you’re not going to have the motion sensor turned on for your alarm system. If you have an alarm system at all – many pet owners don’t specifically for this reason. So if you have signs saying ‘beware the dog’ or your cat tree is right in front of your living room window, you might as well be rolling out the welcome mat.

Windows: Burglars have absolutely been known to steal ladders or even climb trees and use them to get in via an upstairs window. But most are pretty lazy. So instead they’ll look for a window that’s low enough that they can break in (either by forcing the lock, cutting the glass or just breaking the frame), step in without getting hurt and walk about again when they’re done.

Disguises & social engineering: One of the more interesting things in the video we watched was what the former cat-burglar mentioned about outfits. Her preference was to wear scrubs, but many would others would make sure they’re wearing a uniform that disguised them as some type of service worker. This makes it easier for them to gain entry, and means they’re less likely to be questioned if they’re seen.

So How Do You Defend Your Home?

This one isn’t about complicated technical methods of how tos. Instead, this is some simple, defence first advice that can protect you and your home.

• Don’t rely on ‘out of sight = safe’. Make sure there are clear lines of sight to your property, This means keeping hedges and trees trimmed so that windows, walkways and gates are visible from the streets. Combine that with motion-activating lights and visible, well-placed cameras to cover any tricky areas.

• Make your security obvious, integrated and credible. Install a professionally monitored alarm and clearly visible cameras, and make sure any signage you use reflects the monitoring. A sticker along isn’t enough. Test the system, display camera coverage, and use devices that alert you and a monitoring centre. The aim isn’t to hide your security – it’s to make any intrusion costly and not worth the effort.

• Disrupt the burglars’ schedules. It’s fairly clear by now that burglars have their preferred timings and routines to stick to. So, disrupt them. This can be something as simple as using presence simulators when you’re away (like timers on lights, smart outlets, scheduled blinds), up to smart locks and doorbell cameras that alert you to visitors. If you’re out a lot during the day, ask neighbours to keep an eye out, or use scheduled deliveries and presence cues so the house doesn’t look empty in a predictable pattern.

• Use landscaping defensively. Harden your perimeter with clear sight lines. Plant low thorny shrubs under windows, and camera covering fence lines and alleys. Make sure your gates lock, and that any climbable structures are harder to access. A well-designed garden makes covert entry much harder, and makes it more likely someone will notice.

• Choose the right tech if you have pets. There are motion sensors out there that are pet-friendly! Or you can use sensors and cameras in a way that pets don’t trigger false alarms, and you won’t be tempted to turn them off. Things like door/window contacts, glass-break sensors and cameras with person-detection are all great options to go with.

Having first-hand accounts like this can be incredibly valuable when it comes to designing security systems that will actually keep your home safe, so it’s great to see them out there. They help us learn patterns and ways of thinking, which means we can design smarter defences. If you’d like to know more about defending your home, or have an expert look over your existing security, just get in touch with the team at Securifix today, and we’ll be happy to help.