Most burglaries are committed by casual burglars. Often these also 'just' enter through the front or back door.

The occasional burglar carries small tools and wants to get his belongings in the easiest way possible. Well-secured homes he prefers to ignore because time and the triggering of, for example, a siren or flashlight are his greatest enemies.

People are casual about replacing locks

Source: Securitynews.co.uk

Living somewhere for over 15 years and never having changed the lock or cylinder of the front door. This applies to two in five Dutch people, according to recent research by the National Burglary Prevention Weeks foundation.

Meanwhile, in recent years, the burglars' guild has been grasping for ever smarter methods to enter somewhere uninvited. It is therefore important for residents to realise how long it has been since they have changed the lock or cylinder of the front or back door. Almost 80 per cent of survey participants have not done so in the past five years. "If you have not replaced the lock or cylinder in the last 5 years, there is a high chance that a burglar will be inside your home within 3 minutes," said Coen Staal, chairman of the National Burglary Prevention Weeks.

New developments
The security industry is constantly developing its own new equipment to break open a lock. After all, key specialists are expected to come dozens of times a day to help someone, who has locked himself out, unlock the door again. Thus, about seven years ago, people started using cylinder pulling for that purpose. Then they screw a steel screw into the cylinder (where you insert your key) and place a cylinder puller on it, a kind of pulley. This exerts so much pulling force via the screw on the cylinder that it breaks off at the weakest part in the middle.
Unfortunately, burglars too have started using this method more and more in recent years. Naturally, in response to this method of burglary, the industry has marketed so-called anti-cylinder pull hardware. This hardware features a steel plate with a slot across the cylinder. The price of this type of hardware is about 60-80 euros.

Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen (PKVW) and Stichting Kwaliteit Gevelbouw (SKG) (foundation for quality façade construction)
To further help people buy the right security products for their homes, two quality marks have been created, the PKVW and SKG. Over half (55%) are familiar with the PKVW, 17% have even fully secured the home through this quality mark. Over a third (38%) of the homes have one or more SKG locks installed. Often, locks on sale have both a PKVW and SKG quality mark.

Need remains
Despite declining burglary rates (49,500 last year), Staal says it is still necessary to pay continued attention to burglary prevention. Staal: "It still means that 136 burglaries are committed every day. We want to bring that down sharply as a foundation, but also from the government. Every burglary is one too many, especially considering the huge impact it has on someone's sense of security in their own home. A burglary is also called a 'high impact crime' for a reason."

LARCOZ intrusion protection

The falling rates of residential burglaries are mainly due to private prevention. People want to feel safe. Want a safe environment for their families. A safe home. Because the impact of a burglary is huge, many people realise that prevention is better than cure. Intrusion protection systems come in many shapes and sizes. Even in DIY stores you can find alarm systems these days. However, these systems have strong limitations and are not always reliable.

The figures clearly show that prevention and securing your home helps. If you would like to know what the weak points of your home are or would like non-binding advice on what measures you can take to reduce the chances of a burglary, take contact with us.

LARCOZ is a VEB certified security company. This means you are choosing quality and reliability. We only work with alarm systems of proven quality brands such as Honeywell, Visonic and DSC. Security is tailor-made and there is a suitable solution for every situation.