Christmas is not only a chance for shoppers to go out and purchase their holiday gifts, but it is also a chance for would be burglars to do their shopping as well by burglarizing your homes.
According to Porch.com, Texas ranks No. 10 in the nation that experiences the most burglaries during the Christmas season. More than $2,500 worth of stolen property is taken from Texas homes during the holiday season.
Approximately, 83,000 burglaries occurred during the holiday period last year and crimes during holidays account for 8.1% of all crimes committed throughout the year, Porch.com states.
The items most likely to be stolen include jewelry, gadgets, and furs while bicycles, hunting equipment are the least likely to be stolen, Porch.com reports.
Porch.com said all crime statistics were taken from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Data Explorer.
Investigator Martin Sandoval, spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department, said the best way to prevent your home or vehicle from being burglarized is to not give would be thieves the chance to see what is inside.
Sandoval said residents like to display their Christmas trees in the front windows of their homes, opening the curtains and giving the public a view. But by giving the public a view, you are also giving would be thieves the chance to see what gifts are placed underneath your tree.
“That is just telling people what you have inside,” Sandoval said. “It’s better off to not put it out on display in the front window because people can actually see what kind of gifts you have. It’s better to put it (the tree) over off to the side where it’s not visible from the front.”
Sandoval also said its best for homeowners to have an alarm system in their home that is monitored 24 hours a day by an alarm company.
When heading out in the evening, Sandoval said you should leave a couple of lights on inside so that it will appear that someone is home. In addition, make sure all your windows and doors are locked. “I know that that is not a 100 % full proof because they can always break the window to get in or kick the door, but you just want to make it as difficult as possible for them to gain access,” he said.
Many homes are now equipped with surveillance or video cameras, which is a good thing, because it helps law enforcement and captures everything on video, he said. If a burglary is captured video, police will be able to identify the suspect and arrest him, Sandoval said. “There is no alibi for him because he is on video.”
Homeowners should also have signs outside their home that notify the public that their residence has a home security system.
If you are heading out to the mall or shopping centers, make sure to lock your vehicle’s doors and place items inside your vehicle’s trunk out of the view of thieves.
“I know a lot of people have SUVs where you can actually look through. What we say is once your put your belongings in the vehicle and you have no way of hiding them, it’s always best just to take them home, drop them off there and then go back shopping,” Sandoval said.
“The more gifts you end up putting in your vehicle, the more visible they are, it’s a very, very good chance that someone is just going to go and break a window and take all your gifts,” he said.
