Why do you think Batman would choose to go out at night?
Well, the nasty villains at Gotham City bank use the darkness to cover their tracks, so Batman has to be right with them at night time if he intends to catch them.
Apparently, in the real crime world, this also holds true.
Burglars like to conduct their illegal operations during the darkest of nights so they can hide in the shadows and push through with getting inside their target’s home.
While it would be convenient to call on Batman during these troubled times, he’s a fictional character, so you’re going to have to protect yourself!
However, you cannot also stay awake all night to guard your home.
The ideal way to protect your home is by using an alarm or CCTV, but there are some simple strategies you can use that can deter the opportunistic thief that may be lurking.
Illuminate your home
The first logical thing to do is to illuminate your property as much as you can. Would-be offenders cannot work well in lighted areas because they can get easily exposed and caught.
Outdoor lighting is a must in this case, so you have to make sure that the lights surrounding your home are bright enough. A well-lit front porch should be complemented by an equally lighted back.
Go around the house to see which areas are not brilliantly lighted and install lights in dark areas which you think can be used as a hiding place.
Motion-activated lights are a good choice in this situation. They can really illuminate the shadowy parts surrounding your home including the access points.
And these are not your ordinary lights because they can be floodlights which cover a wide area. It can also come as a surprise because it will only light up when motion is detected.
So, if someone walks by, the motion lights will flip on and act like a stun gun to deter an intruder attempt. In the same way, anybody planning and surveying your home for burglary potential will less likely pick it as a target.
Lock the Doors and Windows
This could be the simplest that you can do to protect your home but often, it is also the one most forgotten or ignored.
Never be too confident in saying that nobody will be interested in burgling your home especially when it has never happened in the neighborhood because you might be in for a surprise.
Yes, you do lock your doors and windows when you go out, but also remember to lock them when you are home.
In this way, nobody can sneak in real quick when you are relaxing inside.
If you want some fresh air into your home, you can opt to open the windows and doors, but don’t forget to lock the screens – yes, screen locks are available too.
At night, when you are asleep, and you have your guard down, make sure that any unwanted visitor will not have access inside by keeping all access points locked.
Deadbolts are ideal in this case while customized anti-entry devices for sliding doors are recommended.
To highlight the importance of locks as a front line burglar deterrent system, it is good to recall the case of Elizabeth Gleason, a Northland Kansas City woman.
She and her husband lived in Montclair for a decade and never experienced a forced entry. But one night when her husband was out of town, her usual good night’s sleep was interrupted by three loud bangs on her door. She woke up to check it out but didn’t notice anything until the sun was out and she saw the three footprints on her door. Clearly, someone attempted to break in but was unsuccessful for the simple reason that she was able to keep her door locked.
- Install Efficient Timing devices
When you come home and the house is dark, how does it make you feel?
Well, it is not only creepy but it also could mean that burglars are already lurking in the shadows. An unprotected home can be dangerous to come home to especially when you live alone. Consider this Crime Statistics in Kansas City from 2009 to 2012:
Kansas City, Missouri Crime Statistics Table
| Crime Category | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| Property Crime | 26,695 | 26,919 | 25,545 | 25,642 |
| Murder and Nonnegligent Manslaughter | 100 | 102 | 108 | 105 |
| Forcible Rape | 276 | 234 | 265 | 246 |
| Robbery | 1,970 | 1,626 | 1,665 | 1,647 |
| Burglary | 7,231 | 7,124 | 6,848 | 6,964 |
| Aggravated Assault | 3,957 | 3,544 | 3,498 | 3,864 |
| Larceny Theft | 15,937 | 16,625 | 15,305 | 15,088 |
| Motor Vehicle Theft | 3,527 | 3,170 | 3,392 | 3,590 |
| Arson | 297 | 343 | 302 | 262 |
Source: https://www.instantcheckmate.com/criminal-records/missouri/kansas-city
As can be inferred from the table, the number of burglaries have hovered between 6,800 to 7,000 in four years.
Needless to say, the importance of installing timing devices have to be recognized especially when you often go home late at night or very early in the morning when it is still dark.
Timing devices are a bit outdated, but they have proven their efficacy over the years.
They are perfect for those who are not at home often for some reason because they can be programmed to switch on or off especially when no one is around. In this way, it can make the would-be criminals think that someone is home and skip your house for burglary consideration. You can set it to turn down blinds, turn on the TV or radio, and turn on the lights as if there are people around. You can even set the timers to random mode to make it as natural as possible.
Get a Guard Dog
An edition of the Reader’s Digest revealed that if there is one thing that a burglar will not tell you, it would be that they hate noisy dogs and snoopy neighbors the most.
It doesn’t even matter how big or small they are because when they are loud and make a lot of noise, the burglar’s scheme is completely ruined.
These dogs are those which are hard to calm whenever they have a stranger in sight especially in the dark of the night. This is the most practical deterrent for burglars as dogs can be intimidating as well as dangerous if anybody would attempt to enter their territory.
Meanwhile, if owning a dog is too much to maintain for you, you can consider other tricks.
You can obtain a “Beware of dog†sign and place it in visible areas as a warning even if you do not have a dog. To make it realistic, you can put dog stuff around such as a dog bowl. As a last touch, get an electronic, motion-sensitive dog barking device.
Burglar-proof your yard
 The best way to keep burglars nowhere near your house during dark nights is to keep the surrounding area clear.
Flowering bushes, tall trees, and a landscaped yard is really attractive, but it could also become an invitation for burglars to hide in till they can enter your premises.
In this sense, it is essential to trim your yard and keep them as open as possible so that it can’t conceal anybody from your sight.
Putting bristly bushes and other thorny plant life can work as a trap for those nasty intruders. This will also deter them from entering as it will close any possibility for an easy escape route.
Finally, clear away tools, screwdrivers, ladders, or stackable boxes that can come in handy for the burglars during their scheming operations.