It comes as no surprise that property-related crime increases during the holiday season. On average, crime-related insurance claims spike by 24% on Halloween, more than on any other day of the year, according to 2016 data from Travelers Insurance. This includes particularly sharp increases in theft, both inside and outside the home, and vandalism. Nationally, burglaries peak during the summer vacations, though the holiday season is close behind. There are a couple of reasons for this:
- A vacant home: Burglars know that during the Holiday season individuals leave their home to go on vacation—be it a ski trip in the Alps or driving up to visit family in Portland. This gives the perfect opportunity to rob a house without the home owner walking in on the crime.
- Easy access: With an increase in parties around the holiday season, it is easy for burglars to go unnoticed in the crowd of people coming in and out of an individual’s home. This is especially true for Halloween and Christmas. Halloween proves to be a double whammy with guests dressed up as costumes—giving a burglar the perfect disguise to mask their villainous identity.
- Distracted: With the fervor of the holiday spirit, homeowners are so distracted with setting up the Christmas tree, decorating pumpkins, or stuffing the turkey that they disregard general home safety. With the homeowners’ guards down, burglars are able to get in and out of the home unnoticed.
There are ways to protect yourself this holiday season. The best way to avoid break-ins is to invest in an alarm system. If a burglar attempted to break in to an alarmed house, the homeowner is immediately alerted—along with the authorities. However, despite installing an alarm system, make sure to hide all valuables and extravagant things to not attract a break in. To further make your home unappealing to burglars, make sure to always keep the windows and curtains closed. If you or any one you know have been a victim of burglary, immediately contact the office of RP Defense Law.