With there being so many break-ins of homes on a daily basis throughout the GTA they almost have become so common place that you hardly ever hear about them on the news. Reporting them all would just take up way too much air time.
For the individual homeowner who has become a victim of one of these modern day break in artists it happens to be the most serious event of the day to them.
It is so frustrating when people in general are security conscious and want to feel safe in their homes. They take the time to make sure their doors and windows are locked and that they have taken appropriate security steps.
One of the methods that has been identified as being used by crooks to target a home is a simple knock on the door. A unscrupulous individual will go to the door and knock and/or ring the doorbell. If nobody answers then the home is now a potential break in target. This individual will then let their partners in crime know the home appears to be empty and is ripe for a break in.
These crooks have armed themselves with the modern day tools of the trade to go about their business quickly. Some come with lock-picks, chemicals for testing gold, and torches for breaking into safes. It is little wonder that they have had to become more sophisticated thanks to the security measures that a lot of people have in their homes today.
While it is bad enough that a home is broken into when the house is empty, what about when its not but the occupants have simply not answered the door. Many people that are busy within the home just may decide not to be disturbed so they don’t answer. Or how about the seniors who don’t answer their door. Or the kids that may be home from school for some reason but have been taught not to answer the door. This tactic of the thieves targeting homes where nobody answers is a potentially dangerous one.
What is just as disturbing is that many of the home break-ins are being done in daylight hours as this seems to be a golden opportunity for thieves as many homes are empty.
In addition to this it appears as if home break-ins are far more organized and are no longer random by a single individual. Indications are they are being carried out by organized groups, and groups that have come into the country just for the purpose of thievery. So those stolen goods can often end up being taken out of the country.
At one time an individual that was alert may have been able to identify a potential thief just by their look or actions. This has become increasingly harder because the crooks of today have learned how to blend in with the neighborhood, making it difficult but not impossible to identify.
It just means that as a home owner we have to step up to the plate to “know the enemy” in order to be able to defeat them. This is done by knowing what to look for and it means no longer minding your own business when it comes to your home environment.
