Warm weather is here in Canada and other parts of the world, hopefully for a few months.
It is also the time of year when we are entertaining and aren’t as safety conscious, leaving windows open, unlatching gates and patio doors. The barbecue is going, food is abundant, alcohol may be flowing, talking is non-stop, everyone is having a great time! So the question is, “how do you enjoy backyard entertaining, and prevent break-ins or harm?
It is easy to sit in our back yards or hang around the pool, having a few drinks with friends and family and forgetting about locking the front door or leaving windows wide open away from our view. How many times have you said, “the gate’s unlocked, come on through?” This is OK if it is in your backyard, you have a view of the gate, and you are expecting someone.
Some Interesting Statistics
Every year, there are over 2.2 million burglaries in the U.S. (every 15 seconds). Summer is a prime time for robberies with July and August having the highest. According to the Prevention of Residential Burglary, if you have been burglarized once, you are 12 times more likely to have it happen again and single-family dwellings are targeted more than apartments.
In Canada, burglaries occur in 1 in 28 households. According to SGI Canada:
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Every 90 seconds a break-in occurs
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More than 80% occurs during daylight
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Most are made by amateur burglars
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Most enter through a basement or first-floor window or door