Is your home at risk of burglary? How adult and child burglars operate by Dr Paul Cromwell

Dr Paul Cromwell, expert in criminal justice and criminology, tells Crimestoppers about the American experience of burglary that can be applied to British burglars. Using research from interviews with offenders, Dr Cromwell reveals the thought processes that lead to a home being burgled. He argues that such an invaluable insight can help residents prevent themselves from being victims. [December 2009]

Juveniles are seldom included in crime studies due to confidentiality laws and other restrictions regarding inclusion of juvenile offenders in research. Previous studies of adult burglars clearly demonstrate that while most juvenile burglars do not graduate to adult criminal activity, almost all adult burglars began their criminal careers between the ages of 12-15 years of age (Shover, 1996, Cromwell, Olson and Avary, 1991; Wright and Decker, 1994). With experience and maturity, the adult burglar refines his/her technique and skills.

The adult burglar typically selects targets in a more rational manner, taking into consideration both risk and gain cues, however casually. The offences of juvenile burglars are often spontaneous and unplanned. Their primary qualification for a target site is lack of occupancy and ease of access. Because they may not be as geographically mobile as adults, they are also more likely to commit their offences near to their homes, the homes of friends or schools. An open garage door may trigger a burglary by a juvenile, while the more experienced adult may more carefully assess the potential for the site to be occupied, surveyed from neighbours or the street, ease of access, and whether it has the potential for significant gain.

Prevention techniques designed to increase the perceived risks to the offender include the “illusion of occupancy,” signs of guardianship, and improving natural surveillance. The most critical of all risk variables is whether or not the proposed target site is occupied at the time of the burglary. In determining the risk associated with a potential burglary target, both juvenile or adult burglars' primary consideration is whether the site is occupied. One of our juvenile burglars declared: “I don't do no place where people [are] at home. You get killed doing that. Maybe you have to kill somebody. I look for empty houses, you know. People out of town, on vacation, you know what I mean.”

Occupancy risk clues include the presence or absence of cars from the driveway, outdoor lights kept on all day and all night, mail and newspapers that have not been picked up for several days, snow covered driveways and pavements with no automobile or foot tracks, and what several offenders referred to as a “closed-up look.”

Crime prevention professionals frequently recommend that residents who are away from home have someone else pick up their newspapers and mail, remove garbage receptacles from the street promptly after collection, have snow shovelled, grass mowed, and not leave outdoor lights on during the day.

Wright and Decker (1994) suggest that since many burglars offend in their own neighbourhoods, they know their victims and their daily routines, thus reducing the benefits of creating an illusion of occupancy. Furthermore, burglars often have inside information about times when occupants of an intended target will not be at home. However, an obviously unoccupied residence will attract burglars who might otherwise pass it by. Thus, while the “illusion of occupancy” might not be completely effective in deterring burglars, clues which suggest that no one is at home will definitely attract burglars.

After occupancy, the risk increasing variable most often mentioned by the informants was the existence of “occupancy proxies,” such as dogs or burglar alarms.

We found that only the most professional burglars were willing to attempt to break-in a house with a burglar alarm. In a British study, burglars indicated that alarm systems were among the factors considered most risky. Over one-half stated that they would not burgle a residence with a visible alarm system.

Dogs provide an effective occupancy proxy and are a deterrent to most burglars, both juvenile and adult. Dogs attract attention with their barking and they bark most often at strangers. Most burglars we interviewed put houses with dogs on their “no hit” list.

Well lit streets were also seen as posing a greater risk than those less well lit.

With widespread ownership of televisions, stereos, computers and other valuable consumer items, burglars felt that every potential site contained at least something worth stealing.

Intervention strategies which were reported by the burglar informants as most effective in deterring their activities were those which increased the perceived risk. Among those considered to be the most effective were both formal and natural surveillance. Burglary is a covert activity and the burglar's first concern is that he or she not be seen. Preventive strategies which increase visibility increase the risk to the burglar.

Increasing the effort required to burgle a site is also an effective burglary prevention tactic. Access control and target-hardening techniques, such as installation of deadbolt locks, window locks and bars, and fenced yards with locked gates were reported to be capable of diverting the burglar from a particular target site. Burglars generally took the path of least resistance. A site that appeared to require additional effort was seen as less attractive than one which could easily and quickly be entered. Nearly one-half of all the burglaries reconstructed during the study were reported by the informants as being entered through unlocked windows and doors.

Author note

Dr Paul Cromwell is Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Community Affairs of Wichita State University. He has extensive experience in the criminal justice system, including service as a United States Probation and Parole Officer. He is the author and editor of 16 books and 35 book chapters in academic literature on criminal justice and criminology. He is currently conducting research on gun violence, victims of burglary and shoplifting.

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