Last time on the Central Alarm Blog we talked a bit about the crime statistics that affect our city (Tucson, AZ for those who’ve found this page through the labyrinth of the internet) and how those might influence your security decisions. We also made note that the presence of a security system, if easily visible by the would-be criminal, could, in fact, deter the crime entirely. A Minority Report-esque precrime measure almost. But how? How does a security system, a camera, alarm, how do they all works against someone who would rob you?
The first hurdle for the criminal is the knowledge that it is there. This can make them assume, correctly, it will be a more difficult task to get in, find valuables, etc. If the camera on the back fence is just the perimeter defense, how much more systems is the thief likely to find? For most criminals, this is enough to send them turning tail. But maybe this thief is more industrious, scoffs at the thought of a camera or alarm system and decides that this is the place.
Well, security systems certainly can’t prevent every break in, but they can help limit the damage done by cutting the time the burglar decides to stick around. It can mean the difference between a lost laptop or cash and a completely cleaned out home. A study done by the Electronic Security Association places the average loss of valuables at $5,343 in burglaries where the home doesn’t have a security system. Home with a security system, however,experience a nearly 50% decrease!
Don’t just take our word for it either! Studies conducted by the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Carolina interviewed over 400 convicted burglars about their methods to find what the other side thought about security measures. Of those interviewed, 83% said that they would try to find out if a home had a security alarm before attempting anything. Half of them said they would stop the break in if they discovered an alarm, and a third said they would likely retreat. Only a little more than ten percent said they would continue with the burglary if they found a security alarm.
Those numbers back up the claims, security deters, and where it can’t deter it certainly interferes. And all that is before we even take into account the ability to then catch and prosecute the criminals after the fact!
